Mr and Mrs Potter
by MRSTJ1
Summary: Third and last chapter: if everything changes, is it worth trying to keep anything the same? Harry has to decide.
1. Chapter 1

Mr. and Mrs. Potter

The Beginning

Harry had always believed if he could just get through the war, if he could just defeat Voldemort and come out alive, that he would be perfectly happy, and that his life would finally be normal. Now that the war was over, though, he was restless and dissatisfied. He had no solid plans for the future. He had an application in for Auror training, but he hadn't heard from anyone yet, and wasn't worried about it. It seemed to him as if he had always been the means to an end, and now that the end had come, he didn't know what to do with himself.

Hermione and Ron were both working with the Ministry on Magical/Muggle relations, along with Arthur Weasley, and doing a wonderful job of it. Hermione often tried to drag Harry into it, as she had so long ago tried to drag him into S.P.E.W. but he had avoided giving her an answer, and was grateful when Ron occasionally got up the nerve to tell her to give it a rest.

Quidditch was making a comeback and several teams had expressed interest in him, but that all seemed so trivial now. Professor McGonagall had told him that he should do a few years more of private study, and then come back to Hogwarts to teach. She cited his success so long ago with the DA, but Harry, at twenty, didn't feel up to handling the problems of other teens, when he had made such a mess out of his own teen-aged years. A huge benefit was being planned for St. Mungo's, and the healers were very keen on Harry being on the committee, assuring him he would not really have to do much.

"You would be an asset, because people would come just to see you," one had told him.

Harry had shuddered, not wanting to go out to a public event to be gawked at again.

He as haunted by all of the losses he had suffered along the way…too haunted to simply be relieved they seemed to be at an end. When he tried to sleep at night, no matter where he was, he saw his parents, or Siirus, or Cedric's face. He saw Quirrell turning around with Voldemort's s blazing red eyes coming out of the back of his head. He saw Dumbledore lying spread-eagled on the ground, broken.

Harry heard horrible things, too. He heard the sound of the night, as he had heard it in the forbidden forest so many times. He heard the clatter of Aragog's pincers, the arguments when he had been chosen Tri-Wizard champion, the sound of Fleur screaming in the Tri-wizard maze, Draco Malfoy sobbing in the bathroom at Hogwarts, and the sounds of endless battles.

When he was with people, he wanted to be alone, and when he was alone, it was a desperate loneliness. He liked being with Remus and Tonks, up to a point. Lupin's thoughtful, gentle nature and Tonks' sense of fun cheered him in small doses, but became wearying after time. He spent one long afternoon with Tonks, listening to her talk happily about their plans.

"Of course," she said, "we'd like to get in a couple of kids, but not right now. They don't allow Aurors with small children, because it's still so dangerous. They learned their lesson about that after the first war."

Harry let this go in one ear and out the other, because it didn't apply to him, but he was happy for Remus that Tonks eventually wanted to have a family. Harry had total faith in Remus Lupin's ability to be a good father, but he didn't let himself think about it too much. It reminded him of how desperately he had needed his own father when growing up, and how great his loss had been.

Ron and Hermione had come out of the war hopelessly, desperately in love, and it amused and pleased him to see them so happy. He expected to hear about wedding plans from them at any time, but he could find no energy to seek his own happiness.

He knew whenever he went to the Burrow that Ginny's eyes were following him, waiting for him to resume their old relationship, but Harry just wasn't the same person he had been when he had been with her. After all of the things he had seen, the hard blazing look in her eyes when she had first kissed him seemed shallow. The twisting feeling of his desire for her inside him now seemed silly compared to the emotions that had gone through him as he had fought for his life and for the fate of the wizarding world over that last year of the war. He still wanted her, or at least thought he should, but he was emotionally drained.

One afternoon, not long after the final battle, he had tried to take a nap down by the Weasley's pond, and had dreamed a spectacular dream. In his dream, he had convinced Cedric to take the cup with him, and Cedric had died, then a mystic portal had appeared, and Sirius had been on the other side, beckoning Cedric through. Harry had called to them desperately, but they had just shaken their heads sadly, and faded from view.

Harry woke up, his heart pounding, covered in sweat. Ginny came round the curve of the path just then and seen how upset he was.

"Harry, what is it? You look positively ill."

"It was nothing…just a dream." He sat up and gulped some fresh air. "I saw Cedric Diggory, and I told him to take the cup with me, and…"

"Oh, Harry for God's sake, let it go," Ginny said exasperated. "You can't keep blaming yourself for that. Look at me! If I had sat around thinking about how I should have listened to Dad and not written in the diary, and thought about everyone who got petrified, and Lockhart losing his memory, and you and Ron getting hurt, I would have gone completely mad by now. I don't feel guilty about any of that. I never did. Once it was over, it was over. I didn't blame myself."

"How could you do that? How could you not think about it?" Harry asked, confused.

"What good would it do? What's done is done. I was glad it was over, and I was out of it. When it was over, I was perfectly happy again." She sighed and shook her head. "Can't you just let it go and be happy? It's over. Nothing can change anything that happened. So why care?"

"I don't know. I just do," Harry said, getting up off the ground, and brushing a bit of grass off the back of his shirt.

He kept thinking about it, though, all of it, as he continued to visit his friends, let Molly Weasley fuss over him occasionally, and spent a lot of time sitting in Grimmauld Place. He couldn't let it go. It went on and on in his head, wearing a groove in his mind.

Sirius was dead. Madam Bones was dead. Cornelius Fudge was dead. Dumbledore was dead. Even his Uncle Vernon was gone. Bill was still badly scarred. McGonagall was looking much older and weaker than Harry ever dreamed she could.

Neville's parents were still in a coma, and Harry visited them sometimes with Neville. Harry was now welcome at Longbottom Manor, and often took advantage of the fierce protection of Mrs. Longbottom, who let him come and stay whenever he felt the public eye too keenly. Neville had, after all, defeated Bellatrix Lestrange with a spell Harry had taught him. The stern old lady, in her black robes, and green hats, would always be fond of Harry, and Harry would always be fond of Neville, who had never let him down. Neville wanted to start a plant nursery someday, where he could work with flowers and do research on magical plants. His grandmother didn't have much faith in him, but Harry tried to encourage him.

Mr. Lovegood, who had been attacked the summer before the last battle, was also at St. Mungo's in a coma, and Harry often found himself drawn to that old man's bedside as well. He did not realize that his frequent trips to the hospital had begun to make the hospital committee hope that they might gain their star dinner speaker after all.

Harry knew, even though Luna never brought it up, that her father had been attacked because of the favorable articles about Harry that he had printed in the Quibbler. Their cottage had been burned to the ground and he was in a coma from the enchanted smoke he had inhaled Luna spent nearly every day at her father's side at St. Mungo's, and Harry liked to go and sit with her as much as she liked to see him. The silence around Luna was never uncomfortable. It was more companionable, because with Luna, you didn't always have to speak to be understood. You could just be.

They never planned to meet, it just kept happening, over and over. Sometimes Harry would bring a newspaper, or magazine, and they'd discuss the high points of the news. Her father's friends were trying to keep the Quibbler running, and Luna would tell him how that was going. A formidable wizard named Harold Hunnicutt, who had worked with Mr. Lovegood was keeping it going. Harry knew things were hard for Luna, and he wanted to offer her money. Between his parents and Sirius, he had plenty, more than he could ever spend, but he didn't know how he would ever get her to take it.

Several times he brought the wizarding chess set he had gotten for Christmas his third year at Hogwarts. He sat in Mr. Lovegood's room with her and tried to teach her the game to help pass the time, but she always got confused by the movement of the pieces, and argued with them when they refused to so what she told them to do. When he discovered that she was staying in a muggle hotel near the hospital, he did however convince her to stay at Grimmauld Place instead. At first she did not want to impose on him.

"Harry, I can't take over your house."

"Luna, I'm not there that often. I stay at the Burrow sometimes, or at Professor Lupin's, or at Longbottom Manor. When I am there, it won't be a problem for you to be there, too. It's a huge old pile, and you won't bother me. You can have Mrs. Black's old bedroom. I use the one Sirius used to use." Harry did sleep in Sirius' old room, trying to be closer to the man who was most like a father to him after losing his own. It was part of his longing for family.

Luna finally did give up her hotel room and come there, and after leaving the hospital every night, it was a great comfort to her to have a place to grab a quick meal and get some sleep before heading back to St. Mungo's every morning. Dobby was especially glad to see her. He had brought Winky to live there, after the death of Albus Dumbledore, hoping a more homelike atmosphere would help her adjust. She had never adjusted to Hogwarts, but Grimmauld Place was not exactly a homey atmosphere, and Winky often found herself mediating between Dobby and Kreacher. Kreacher still disliked Harry with a passion, and Winky was not fond of him, but neither of them had any better place to go, and Winky at least could tolerate Harry, if she had someone to vent with occasionally. Kreacher became almost fond of her, the only one he had managed to develop a fondness for since the Order had taken over the house.

Hedwig, to Harry's pleasure, had also become fond of Luna. Luna was such an animal lover, and Hedwig was such a beautiful owl, that this did not surprise Harry. He had not expected Hedwig to have a problem with Luna.

Winky had stopped drinking with normal housework to occupy her, and that was a blessing. Since Harry did not spend much time at the house, he didn't pay much attention to the elves anyway. He had been afraid of Mrs. Black's reaction to Luna, but Mrs. Black had calmed down a bit since the Order had left. She moped a lot over the end of the war, but Luna's Pureblood presence did not bother her at all. Luna liked to start extremely boring (to Harry!) conversations with Mrs. Black. Sometimes they would talk about the various people in the portraits, or about odd looking antiques that Luna became interested in on her way in from the hospital or out. When Luna did this Mrs. Black became almost friendly to the blonde girl, to Harry's amazement.

He had packed for a weekend at Neville's once, and was hauling his trunk down the stairs when he heard them chatting about an old hammer that was mounted on the wall near Mrs. Black. Luna was sitting on the floor with a cup of tea, while Mrs. Black told her the story of it.

"My dearly departed husband got that from Glamorganshire, Wales," Mrs. Black said, reminiscing, "from one of the goblins on Barry Island. Have you ever laid you ear next to a cleft in the rocks? You can hear them working still. Merlin commanded them to forge blocks of brass. He was going to build a protective wall all around Britain. The enchantment bound them to work until he gave them leave to stop, but he never did. The witch, Vivien, tricked him into imprisonment inside an oak tree about that time, and he had other things on his mind. Now they must build blocks underground forever, never to be used. It's perpetual labor, you know."

"I think Daddy did an article on it for the Quibbler once," Luna answered. "Oh, hello, Harry. Or should I say goodbye? Are you ready to leave?"

"Yes, I'll be at Neville's until Monday. Have a good weekend, Luna."

While Harry did not interact with Luna much while she was at his house, he did either escort Luna to the hospital occasionally or at least meet her there. When he did this, he brought flowers, and chocolates, and boxed lunches for them to share. He brought ice creams and cakes to treat her. He kept trying to teach her chess, and she did get better at it, but not much. Sometimes they would joke and laugh and Harry would be amazed at how they could laugh, in such a place, in such a time, after all they had been though.

Harry would leave, always glancing back at the gray-haired man in the bed, wishing with all of his might that he could tell Mr Lovegood how extraordinary his daughter had been, when Harry had needed help in that last fight.

Harry liked to visit Hogwarts, as well, to walk around the lake, stand at the white tomb, and wander the familiar halls, but the school was not the same. So many students were dead or had just gone silently away like morning dew. So many wizarding families were in ruins, torn apart by death or divided loyalties, or poverty. He was visiting the school when he heard of yet another casualty. It was Nearly Headless Nick who told him.

"Harry! There you are!" Nick said, slipping through a stone wall on the second floor. "I've been looking for you. I was just speaking to the Gray Lady, and she told me that the Lovegood girl's father has finally passed on. Since Miss Lovegood was always such a good friend of yours, I thought you'd like to know."

Harry froze. "Are you sure?"

"Oh, quite sure. It happened this morning. Professor Flitwick told the Lady himself. He got an owl from a friend of his who works at the hospital. She lets him know whenever something happens to one of his former students." Nick eyed Harry carefully. "You ARE still friends with the Lovegood girl, are you not?"

"Oh, yes, we are friends," Harry said. "She's even been staying at Grimmauld Place part of the time her father's been in the hospital. Poor Luna! I must go to her. Is she still at the hospital, so you think?"

"Oh, no, they have probably begun planning the service by now. "

"Thanks, Nick!" Harry said, and hurried to the gates of Hogwarts, to apparate away. He didn't know where Luna would have gone to seek help planning a funeral, but he knew she would probably want her father buried near her mother in Ottery St. Catchpole, which was not far from the Weasleys, so he went there.

"Goodness, Harry! How you startled me!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, dropping the basket she was carrying, as he appeared in the front yard. "I was just picking some flowers. I want to make an arrangement to send over to Mr. Lovegood's funeral tomorrow. Did you hear about him?"

"Yes," Harry answered, helping Molly pick up the fresh, sweetly scented blossoms that had fallen on the ground. "That's why I'm here. I want to go, of course."

"We had a message from one of the Quibbler people, a Mr. Hunnicutt. The office staff is helping Luna organize it. The funeral is in the morning, and there's going to be a luncheon afterwards at the Quibbler offices. Mr. Hunnicutt told us everyone is supposedly bringing something. I'm going to send over the flowers, and I'm baking a few cakes." She straightened the basket on her arm, and sighed. "I hope this is the last of the funerals for awhile. I declare I've seen enough of them to last me a lifetime. Why don't you go in the house, Dear? Ron and Hermione are there. They'll be glad to see you."

Ron and Hermione were there, sitting on the sofa in the parlor.

"Oh, Harry, I'm so glad you came," Hermione said, getting up to throw her arms around his neck for a hug.

"Me, too, mate," Ron said, coming over for a quick cuff on the shoulder. "How did you hear? Was Luna with you at Grimmauld Place when she got the news?"

Harry winced. That would have been horrible. " No, I was at Hogwarts. Nearly Headless Nick told me, got it from Flitwick," Harry answered, letting Hermione go. He knew Hermione loved him, always had, and always would, in that special way a female best friend does, but it still felt a little funny to hug her in front of Ron, now that the two of them were engaged. They all went and sat down together, as they used to do when they were children,

"Poor Luna," Hermione said. "I don't know what to say to her. I can't imagine being without parents."

"I can," said Harry, "but I don't know what to say, either."

"Oh, Harry," Hermione said, throwing a hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry! That was totally tactless of me!"

"Maybe Harry can help," Ron said quickly. "You always were able to talk to her about the big things. God knows I never could. It took me awhile to get used to her, and I do love her to death now, but I've never been able to have a serious conversation with her."

"You've been awfully good to her, letting her use the house to be close to the hospital. And you were her first date, weren't you, Harry?" Hermione said, reminiscing. "You took her to Slughorn's party."

"That was ages, ago," said Ron sulkily. "When you were going out with that McClaggan. I wanted to knock his teeth out, after he messed up our Quiddich record. If I could have gotten my hands on him…"

"You would have had to beat me to him," Harry said with a grin. "Luna did the commentating for that game, didn't she? I think that was the game."

They talked about happier times, until Ginny stalked into the room, and asked Hermione to help her ice cakes. "Mum is taking enough food to this funeral luncheon to feed an entire village. I don't know who she thinks will be there, though. Half the wizarding world thought the Lovegoods were completely mad."

"Luna wasn't mad when she helped carry you out of the Department of Mysteries that time you broke you ankle," Ron pointed out.

"Oh, shut up, Ron. It's not like you were much help that day," Ginny said in a huff. She looked at Harry. "At least you won't have her for a house guest anymore. She'll have to find herself a flat or something. Honestly, Harry, I don't know how you put up with it. She's a dear, but she gets difficult at times."

"Don't we all?" Harry said slyly. "I didn't mind helping her. I wasn't there that much anyway, and it gave Winky someone to cook for."

"Is Winky still drinking a lot?" Hermione asked, worried.

"No," said Harry. She's been better." Ginny diplomatically led Hermione back to the kitchen before she could start lecturing them about the lack of progress in elf rights.

Having gone through several wizarding funerals by now, Harry knew what to expect. The luncheon afterwards was more like the muggles did, but it was nice to see so many people stopping by to give Luna encouragement. Harry had brought several bottles of elf-made wine that he had found in the cellar of Grimmauld Place, knowing someone at some point would probably need a drink. Several people who had worked on the Quibbler with Mr. Lovegood were talking with Mr. Hunnicutt about how to carry it on, and that seemed to make Luna happy.

The Weasleys and Hermione drifted off late in the afternoon, but Harry stayed, not being particularly eager to return to Grimmauld Place, and not wanting to go back to the Burrow, either. It was dark when the last guests were saying their goodbyes, and Harry noticed the last remaining members of the Quibble staff looking uncomfortable as he prepared to say his own.

"You look like you could use some sleep," he said, as he helped Luna pick up the remains of the luncheon debris from around the office.

"I don't know if I will ever get a good night's sleep again. I see so many things in my sleep," Luna said honestly.

"I know what that's like." Harry looked around. "Where are you going to go. Luna? You can't sleep here."

"Maybe if I don't look, all of this will go away."

Something in her voice touched Harry's heart. "Let's go back to Grimmauld Place. That might help."

She closed her eyes for a moment, then nodded. "All right. I'll just tell Dad's friends where I'll be, and go get my cloak. Thank you Harry. Thank you for everything."

He continued to clear away glasses and plates for a few minutes. As he walked near a doorway, he heard some of the Quibbler people whispering to Mr.Hunnicutt.

"Should she be living with him? It looks terrible."

"Oh, you can trust him anywhere," the tall wizard said. "They've known each other since they were children, and he's always been there for people who needed help. Besides, do you want her with you?"

Harry felt himself getting angry, but smoothed out his face when Luna appeared at his side, carrying a worn black cloak that was a bit too short for her. Harry felt sorry for her again, realizing she must not have saved many clothes from the fire, and probably hadn't bought any since her father had been hurt. He had never noticed before.

He took her elbow and they aparrated to the front door of Grimmauld Place. Harry told Luna to go on up to her room, and went to ask Winky for a pot of tea. She put the tea, some cream and sugar, and two cups with spoons on a tray.

"Harry Potter will take the tray to Miss Luna? Winky does not know what to say to her right now. Winky was sad when the message came that Mr. Lovegood was gone at last. Harry Potter will have a cup of tea with Miss Luna, and sit with her until she is ready to sleep?" The elf looked hopeful and Harry nodded.

"Then Winky will go to bed, as well. Dobby and Kreacher have already gone to sleep."

"That's fine, Winky. Don't worry about the tray. You can get it in the morning."

Harry sighed as he carried the tray up the stairs. He headed down the hall, and to his embarrassment, found Luna sitting on the edge of her borrowed bed, wearing a long white nightgown and looking very forlorn.

Harry sat down beside her awkwardly and set the tray down next to the bed. He poured two cups of tea. "Let's drink…to absent friends."

Luna took the cup and smiled. "Daddy would have loved to have you as a friend."

They clinked the tea cups as if they were the finest champagne, and sipped the hot, sweet tea.

"That does help me, Harry. It's warm inside, and I have been feeling so cold. It's dementor cold, from the inside out, like I'll never be cheerful again. Daddy and I had such good times together."

Harry stared into his tea. "Luna, there may still be some good times to be had"

"Will I ever really feel anything again? I just feel so alone. Harry, I'm going to be alone now. What will I do?"

He put his arm around her. "You're not alone…not really. Weren't you the one who told me that it was all right to be sad sometimes, but that if we have faith, we'll see the ones we love again?"

She laid her head wearily on his shoulder. "Yes, I said that, but it's harder now. It's hard to believe that I will always have people to love me."

"Luna, you will." He pressed his lips to her forehead. He hadn't planned to do it, but it happened, and it happened very naturally. They were two lonely people, who had always been there for each other, when no one else understood.

"Harry, always be my friend." She tilted her chin up, and then her mouth was on his, and she was not cold inside. She was warm, and the warmth spread through him.

"I will," he said slowly, and closing his eyes, he let himself stop thinking and just feel.

They kept kissing, each kiss getting longer and deeper, and she slid back down onto the bed, and he went with her. She looked up at him, and smiled crookedly, and said, in that blunt way of hers, "I'm not stupid, you know."

"I'm not either," Harry breathed, seeking out her mouth again. He knew exactly what she meant. This wasn't anything they had planned, and neither of them knew what it meant, but in this very moment it seemed right. This was a strange, wonderful, wild feeling for Harry, a feeling of being swept away and yet knowing exactly where he was. They were a mortar and pestle, waves striking the shore, a whirlwind picking up speed.

He had one horrible moment, when she gasped in pain, but before the familiar guilt could take control of him, she hissed one word into his ear. The word was yes, and as soon as he heard it, the waves picked him up and carried him away.

Afterwards, he lay stock still, his face buried in her hair, afraid to move. She stroked his hair tentatively, as if she were trying to smooth away his shock from his mind. Finally he had to say something, so he raised his head and said, stupidly, "Are you all right?"

"Of course I am. You just gave me the gift of connection to another human being. That's a rare gift, Harry, and I will never regret it."

"Oh," Harry said, not knowing what else to say, as he stared into her shining silver eyes.

"It's just…" Luna bit her lip and looked troubled.

"What?" he asked, terrified all of a sudden, wondering what she would possibly think of saying next.

"Could you do that again?"

"Mmmm, yes, I think I can," he said, smiling with relief. "I just need, umm, a few minutes to get ready."

She giggled, for the first time in days, and looped her thin arms around his neck. "Can I help you get ready?" she murmured, and he found himself kissing her laughing mouth.

When he woke up, it was just before dawn. Harry didn't know where he was for a moment. There was unusual warmth around him, and the half-light in the room revealed Luna, curled up against him. She had one leg thrown over his and one arm draped across his chest. Harry had never woken up in a bed with another human being in his life, and didn't know how he should feel about that.

She yawned and raised herself up, so that she was lying on his chest, looking into his eyes.

"Hi, Harry."

"Hi, Luna," he answered. What else could he say?

She kissed him. "It's nice not being alone," she said.

"Well, yeah, I guess it is, but Luna, I don't really understand any of this. I mean, don't get me wrong, it was great, but I don't know what it means."

"Does it have to mean anything?"

"Nothing," Harry said firmly, "seems to happen to me without a reason."

"Then if you need a reason, let it be this. Let it be that I needed you, and you needed me. We both know that nothing lasts forever, but we both know how important it is to enjoy what we have when we have it."

Harry thought about this, and absently stroked her back at the same time. "You're right. I couldn't feel anything, either, there for awhile. It was as if my life was frozen, not by one loss, but by all of them. I guess I needed someone to shake me up and prove to me that I was still alive. What we did…made me feel alive. I learned something last night, something that I've come close to many times, but never quite completely gotten. I think it was what Dumbledore was always trying to tell me, when he talked about what was in my heart. I learned that if somebody needs you, if you have something to give, you should give it and not be afraid. I always knew it, but I was always a little bit afraid. I was afraid of really giving myself, and I'm not talking about, you know, exactly what we did. I'm talking about in general. Does that make sense?"

She looked at him thoughtfully. "To me it does, but I'm not exactly like everyone else, am I?"

"No, it's different with you, and I'm glad. I'm really glad," Harry said with a laugh.

She drew herself up over him. "Speaking of different, can we do it this way?"

"Anyway you like," Harry answered, and he found that she liked it that way very much, but then so did he.

When he next woke up, it was because a fully dressed Luna was pulling open the curtains, letting the morning sun pour into his eyes.

"I made one concession to the elves. I made the bed you didn't sleep in look as if it had, but you better go back to your own room now. I think Winky is already making breakfast."

"Oh, right. I'll do that."

"It's such a beautiful morning, Harry." She turned and picked up the tea tray, which was still sitting on the floor. "I'll see you downstairs."

Harry hastily gathered up his clothes, and, feeling incredibly stupid for having to do so, sneaked down his own hallway to his own bedroom, where he tried to pull himself together. He then went to the kitchen, where Winky was serving Luna orange juice. It looked like she had already had a bit of breakfast.

"Hello, Harry. I'm afraid I ate all of your bacon."

Harry sat down hastily, smoothing his napkin over his lap. "That's okay."

"Winky can make more bacon," the elf said firmly. "Winky has plenty for the both of you."

"Never mind, Winky. I don't want any," said Harry, "but would you mind doing the dishes?" He watched as Winky bowed herself away from the table, then turned to Luna.

"I will be going soon," Luna said. " I have to go meet with some of the Quibbler people. They need me to sign some papers right away so they can get started on rearranging the staff. They didn't do anything while Daddy was alive, but they really can't wait anymore to make any of the appointments official. They've waited long enough." She stood up, and called to Winky, who was busy at the sink, to thank her for everything she had done over the last few months. The elf almost cried from happiness.

"You're leaving? Now? Just like that? But when will I see you again? I mean, am I going to see you again?" Harry was completely tongue-tied.

"Well, certainly if you wish. I think they are going to have an empty flat over the office soon, and I'll be able to live there, above the Quibbler from now on. I'll send word to Dobby later about where he can bring my things, if you think he won't mind.."

"I'm sure he won't mind, but WHEN will I see you?"

"When you need to see me, I'll be there. When I need to see you, you'll be there. Isn't that always the way of it?" She smiled at him, and waved as she walked out the door, and Harry stood dumbfounded, listening to her steps going down the hall, and the sound of the front door slamming.

Oh, well, he thought. That's Luna. It had been delightful interlude, and he'd gotten both pleasure and understanding out of it. What else did he have a right to expect? He was alive, and he knew how much more living he wanted to do. He was going to get his life back together…right after he ate the breakfast that was left, of course. He looked at the table, and saw eggs, toast and a mug of sweetened tea, along with a large spot of grease on a plate, where, if he was not mistaken, at one time there had been bacon.

Everything tasted marvelous. After he ate, Harry climbed back upstairs, and went into the bathroom, where he took a long hot shower using the green tea shower soap and shampoo that Luna had left there. He got dressed in clean clothes, thinking all the time about Luna, and breathing in the fresh scent that always followed her, that he now understood.

Harry said, impulsively to himself, "Luna, I will always be your friend." He owed Luna a great debt. She had shown him that there were still people who cared about him, who were willing to trust him with their lives, in spite of his being at the center of the war for all of those years.

Then he walked out of the house. The whole world looked different, even the dingy street in front of the Black house. He walked the streets of London, thinking. Harry passed through the city, looking at everything with new eyes, instead of keeping his head down as he usually did. There were all of these people, going on with their lives who had never heard of Voldemort, and never paid any attention to the young man with the scar who had often passed their way. He felt a sudden fondness for his muggle neighbors, and decided to put a tentative hand into whatever new scheme Hermione was working on at the moment.

He decided to apparate to the Burrow to try to catch Ron and Hermione, who usually had breakfast there together before going to work. The breeze smelled clean in Ottery St. Catchpole. The flowers were in bloom. The grass was soft. The wispy white clouds in the sky drifted past, but did not block out the sun. It was a marvelous day.

When he got to the cottage, the family was just finishing breakfast, and Hermione was there. It touched Harry to see how she was already considered part of the family. Molly immediately offered to fix Harry something to eat as well.

"No thanks. I already ate. Maybe just some coffee, if you've got it."

"Where did you eat?" Molly asked, running a hand through his hair as she had done when he was twelve.

"Luna and I ate at Grimmauld Place. She stayed there last night."

Ginny dropped her fork with a clatter. "So that's what I smell! It's that green tea shampoo Luna uses. Honestly, Harry, you have to stop feeling responsible for everyone who needs help. She's got to learn to stand on her own two feet." Her voice was casual enough, but also just forced enough that Harry knew she suspected something, and he winced.

What had happened between him and Luna had nothing to do with Ginny, and he felt it should be something private, a secret they would always keep together. Even though Ginny and Harry had not dated in two years, he still felt odd about her long-term feelings for him, and knew that she would have never been able to understand if she found what had happened. She would never have understood the common thread of loss and neediness that had caused Harry and Luna to connect as they had for that one night. But how could he tell the truth without making her even more curious? He decided to act indignant.

"Oh, Ginny, for God's sake," he snapped. "I stayed after everyone else left to help her straighten up the office, and she was feeling really down She didn't want to be alone. So she spent the night at my place So what? I've got plenty of room. I woke up this morning as she was leaving to go to a Quibbler meeting. What's the big deal?"

"Oh, dear," Molly said. "I never thought of that. She was grieving, and must have been exhausted, and we left the place a mess. I should have offered to help her."

"I should have," said Hermione, stricken. "Poor Luna!"

"Oh, I think she'll be okay," Harry said to Molly. "She's going to be with her father's coworkers all day, deciding what to do about the magazine, and they're going to arrange for her to live over the offices. That will keep her busy. That's what she needs." He turned to Hermione. "I've been thinking about what you said, about the muggle relations committee, by the way. I've decided that I would like to help, if I can. What happened to Mr. Lovegood made me realize I need to start doing something with the rest of my life."

"Oh, Harry, that's wonderful!" Hermione said, "and you'd be wonderful at it. I don't know if they'd be able to pay much at first, but…"

"I don't want money," Harry said. "I have more than I can ever spend, between what I got from my parents and what I got for Sirius. I just want to do something with myself that's useful. It's time I got busier, too."

Arthur looked delighted, "Harry, I think I know just where we can use you. You can be on the committee to improve communication between the magical and muggle media. They'll love having you. They need someone young who has experience living in a muggle environment."

"I do have that," Harry said. "Bring it on."

"Well," said Hermione, "I'm giving a report at the Ministry next week about how muggle newspapers, radio and television work. Could you say a few words about the importance of communication with the muggle world?"

Harry almost choked on his coffee. "Next week?"

"Oh, Harry, that would be wonderful!" Mr. Weasley said enthusiastically. "Everyone will listen to us if you're with us!"

"Next week?" Harry repeated. "Well, I guess I could. If you're going to do most of the explaining."

"I've got my speech all prepared," said Hermione, jumping up. "I'll go get it, and duplicate it, so you can read it, and then you can think today about what you want to say.'

"I have mine nearly done. I'm not as methodical as Hermione, " Arthur Weasley added, giving his future daughter-in-law a fond look. "I'll give you a copy of my rough draft. That might help you think of what you want to say. Then we'll all meet at the Ministry at ten on Tuesday."

Harry took the speeches, and after Hermione and Ron went to work with Mr. Weasley, he went back to Grimmauld Place to read it and to decide what he wanted to say to go along with it. He scratched away at the kitchen table, as Dobby and Kreacher, who were still living in an uneasy peace, slipped in and out of the room, stopping every so often to ask if there was anything Harry needed. He soon grew impatient with them, as he often did, but there was no chance he would ever be able to get rid of either of them.

Dobby had been so crushed by the death of Albus Dumbledore that Harry had been forced to keep him close to prevent him harming himself. Kreacher still could not be freed, in case there were any surviving supporters of the Dark Lord who might find him useful, so Harry put up with him, keeping him quiet by giving him the run of the house.

Late in the afternoon, Harry had finished a rough draft of what he wanted to say. He allowed Dobby to make him some soup and a sandwich, and Dobby did so gladly. Harry then rewrote his speech. He sent Hedwig to Hermione with a copy. She soon sent back word that he had done a very good job and that she wouldn't change a thing, which was saying a lot for her.

Harry went to bed after that, quite tired, from thinking, and from writing, and from the night before when he hadn't gotten much sleep at all. He blushed thinking about it, about Luna, who was now his lover. Correction: his first lover. He fell into a deep, dreamless sleep, but as he drifted off, he could almost remember the feel of her long, fine hair draped across his arm.

He got up early on the Tuesday of the conference, ate a bit of toast and drank some tea. He was too nervous for anything else. This was his first test of his new plan to become more active in society again, and he wanted it to go well. He dressed very carefully, and was waiting in the Atrium by a quarter to ten.

The statues that had been destroyed the night Harry had been possessed by Voldemort had been removed long ago. A contest had been held to replace them, and Dean Thomas had won. Harry looked at the new statue grouping, which was much more realistic than the old one had been, and thought about Dean.

Dean had been his friend, until Ginny had come between them. Nothing had ever been the same in Gryffindor tower after that, and Harry had been glad when he had not had to room with Dean anymore. Now it all seemed so petty and childish. He wondered where Dean was, and if he was doing well.

Hermione and Ron appeared with Mr. Weasley, and they headed off to the meeting, which Hermione explained further as they walked along. Apparently several wizarding journalists were pressing the Ministry to change how information could be shared with their muggle counterparts. The large room where they were to speak held about a hundred, some Ministry officials, and the rest from the various wizarding mediums.

Hermione gave a well-crafted speech about muggle communications, covering the basics of the Internet, television, magazines, radio and newspapers. Mr. Weasley then gave a speech giving examples of how the Ministry had been forced to communicate with muggles over the years, and where it had gone well, and where it had gone badly. Harry concentrated on them, not on the crowd, to try to keep from getting too nervous.

When Harry stood up to speak, he suddenly realized Luna Lovegood was in the audience, sitting with some of the people who had been at her father's funeral, including Mr. Hunnicutt. When Harry was introduced, a familiar buzz filled the room that reminded Harry of other stressful times. Luna looked up, straight into his eyes and smiled, and that small smile calmed him. Harry concentrated on her face as he spoke.

"I grew up in the muggle world, and knew nothing of the wizarding world until I got my Hogwarts letter. After I came back to the magical world, I was told that the less communication between the two worlds the better. I was told that if the muggles knew too much about us, they would want magical solutions to their problems. That was not true, in my opinion.

"We have a lot of the same problems anyway. We have poverty, racism, war, terrorism, and many other problems that we use as excuses to look down on the muggle world, and on top of that, we have caused them more problems by not communicating swiftly when faced with mutual dangers. I realize we can not fully expose our world, but when we have reason to believe that the events in the wizarding world are going to connect with the muggle world, we need to act, and act swiftly, to seek out appropriate channels of communication.

"More and more muggles are becoming aware of us anyway, as there are less and less Pureblood families left. Every muggle family who marries into our world, or has a child with magical skill can be used to process information if need be.

"We have just fought a terrible war, where muggle lives were lost as well as wizarding lives. We could not have won that war without the muggle born, the mixed bloods, and the other magical creatures that united to face a common threat. Let us continue to try to bridge our two worlds with understanding and openness."

There was polite applause when Harry finished speaking, and he took his seat feeling he had done the best he could on short notice. After the meeting, when everyone began to mingle, he found himself looking into Luna's silvery eyes.

"Oh, Harry, it's so nice to see you taking an interest in life again!"

"You, too," he said, smiling, "but I really owe it to you." He hesitated. "I kind of want to talk to you. I don't have to hang around her anymore. Do you want to go get a drink or go to lunch or something?"

"Or something," Luna said, smiling back. When he blushed, she laughed. "I just said that to make you smile. Lunch will be fine."

They went to the Leaky Cauldron, and Tom gave them a table in a quiet corner. After he had taken their order, Harry sat fiddling nervously with the salt cellar.

"That was a marvelous program," Luna said serenely. "I totally agree with all of you. We get the muggle world in an awful lot of trouble sometimes. Daddy used to talk about how much trouble the poor muggles at the gas company got into when they got blamed for that big explosion right after the first war."

Harry, thinking of Sirius, winced. "I never even thought about that."

"Well, don't worry about it now. You're not the only one who never did." She sipped her tea, then continued. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

"You're not angry with me about the other night are you? Harry asked in a low tone. "I never did anything like that, before, I swear."

"I didn't think so. I never had, either," Luna said earnestly. "But why should I be angry about that?"

"I didn't mean it exactly like that," Harry answered, embarrassed. "I mean, I did, never do that before, I mean, but I also meant…oh, damn! Luna, I kind of feel like I took advantage of you when you were down."

Luna set down her cup. "Harry, it was my choice, too. It was something we did together, and it was nice. It was really nice. I mean, it's not like we don't care about each other. You do care, don't you? You're a very caring person."

He was shocked. "Of course I care! I have for a long time and I always will."

Luna picked up her fork. "What did you tell Ginny when you got back to the Burrow?"

"How did you know I went to the Burrow? And what's Ginny got to do with it anyway?" Harry asked defensively.

"Well, you were in love with her once, weren't you? And she's still in love with you," Luna offered.

"What makes you say that?" He really wanted to know.

Luna just shrugged. "Isn't it true?"

"I never did anything like that with Ginny. I told you. I never told Ginny I loved her, not once." Harry was surprised as he said this. It had never dawned on him that he had never said those words to anyone.

"No, you aren't the kind of person who goes around saying that lightly," Luna said firmly, digging her fork into her salad. Harry did not know what to say to that, so he just ate as well.

After he had paid the check, Harry looked at Luna. "I want to keep seeing you. I like being with you, but I don't think we should let things get so out of hand again. I think we should just let it go as if it never happened, at least for now."

Luna shrugged. "If you say so, but I don't know if relationships can go backwards. Or stand still. We'll have to see."

"Ooooh, what have we here?" a familiar and altogether unwelcome voice chimed in. "Harry Potter and Luna Lovegood! How interesting! I had heard you were living together, but I thought you'd split up."

"Sod off, Rita," Harry said, standing up and holding out his hand to Luna, who obediently rose.

"Manners, Mr. Potter," Rita said, looking at him through shrewd eyes, as her photographer stood by, as usual. "Why so defensive? You don't want to see me get curious do you?"

"I'm not being defensive, and no, I don't want to see you get curious. I just plain don't want to see you."

"I think it's nice to see you again, Miss Skeeter," Luna offered. "Your nails look lovely today. How do you keep them so long? Mine used to break when I did the gardening."

"Still involved with that rag magazine?" Rita asked, ignoring Harry's mulish look.

"Certainly," Luna said with a smile. "What else?"

She and Harry left together, and Rita watched them go. "We've got to do some checking," she told the photographer. "There's something going on. Potter's hardly been seen since the end of the war, and now he's out in public making speeches, and squiring about that Lovegood brat, when her father's hardly cold."

Outside the pub, Harry took a deep breath. "I just can't stand that woman!" he said fiercely.

"You still worry about what people think of you, don't you?" Luna asked. "You shouldn't. Would you like to come see the flat I fixed up over the Quibbler office? It's small, but it's not too bad."

Harry, who was used to the way Luna could quickly change the subject by now, went with her. Her flat was small, and Harry thought it was pretty awful. There were only two rooms, and a very tiny bath. The living area and the kitchen and dining area were one room in the shape of an L, and the bedroom opened off the long end, which was the living room. The furniture was obviously left over from a "bring and buy" sale, but he had to admit it was clean and comfortable. He stayed for a butterbeer, and then, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, left, and spent the rest of the evening wishing he could think of some way to help her.

Luna thought often of Harry, as well. She had always been good at observing people, and Harry was one of the people she had spent the most time observing. Her first year at Hogwarts, she had seen him walking around miserable, because so many people had believed him the heir of Slytherin. Luna had felt for him then. In her second year of school, a lot of the girls in the dorm had complained about him being the cause of all of those Dementors floating around. Luna had defended him, which had not endeared her to her housemates, but then, not many of then had liked her to start with anyway. In her third year, she had seen him suffer because so many people thought he had cheated the goblet of Fire. Ravenclaw had firmly sided with Hufflepuff, but Luna had refused to wear a "Potter stinks!" badge.

In her fourth year, Luna had finally met Harry Potter, and he was not what she expected. She had expected a more outgoing boy, or at least a boy who had learned to deal with his burden. The fact that he still seemed to suffer so much abuse, and still took it so much to heart touched her own heart. She vowed to be his friend, and always to help and comfort him in any way she could. In her fifth year, she had gone on a date with him as a friend, and responded to Hermione's call to help him, even though the DA no longer existed.

She liked being Harry's friend most of all, because she admired his persistence. He was hurt by a lot of things that went on around him, but he never gave out and he never gave in, no matter how hard things got. That was an admirable quality to have in a friend, as far as Luna could see.

Now she and Harry had gone farther than friends ever should, and she soon learned there is always a price to be paid for stepping over the line. At first she pretended she'd gotten her dates mixed up, but that only lasted a few weeks. Wishful thinking can be very powerful when it's all that is standing between you and utter disaster, but one can only pretend so long.

Luna was sitting in her threadbare flat one day when she got scared. She knew she was truly frightened, because she had been truly frightened before, twice, in fact. Once when she had watched her mother die and once when she had looked back at her burning house and realized her father had not made it out. So she knew this feeling, and knew how valid it was. She had a reason to be scared, however, one of the best reasons there could ever be.

She went to St. Mungo's and just picked a healer off of the list next to the front desk, making sure not to pick one who already knew her. The healer she asked to see turned out to be a heart specialist, which Luna took to be rudimentary justice. But he knew a few facts of life besides.

"You're not married, are you?"

"No," she replied.

"Do you know who the father is?"

"Yes."

"Do you know where he is?"

"Yes."

"Then my advice to you is to go straight home and tell your parents, then go see your boyfriend and tell him the truth. I've got a daughter about your age, and that's what I'd want her to do. Don't waste any time."

"Thank you," said Luna simply. She didn't have the heart to tell the poor man that it wasn't going to be that simple in her case. She had no parents and this wasn't just a boyfriend/girlfriend situation. This was just a friend, who happened to be the most famous young man in the wizarding world.

She then vomited in the healer's sink, as he thoughtfully held back her hair. He handed her a cloth to wipe her face afterwards, and the names of a couple of healers who would be able to be more useful to her. She thanked him again, and walked out of the hospital, to head back to her flat, just missing Harry, who was walking in, having finally agreed to help with the big benefit being planned for the hospital fund.

Being at St. Mungo's reminded Harry of Luna, though, and after he discussed the donation he was making to the hospital, agreed to attend the benefit ball, and stopped in for a quick visit with the Longbottoms, he decided to also stop by Luna's flat and say hello.

Luna had gotten home just in time to rush in the door and be sick in her own bathroom. When that was done, she collapsed on the bathroom floor, closed her eyes, and concentrated on how cool and nice the tile felt against her hot face.

Harry whistled cheerfully as he walked up to the building where Luna was living. He was curious as to how she was doing. Maybe he would ask her if she wanted to go to the benefit ball for St. Mungo's, as friends, of course. That might cheer her up, if she was still down. He thought about the night they had gone to Slughorn's party as friends. That had been fun, and she had looked quite nice. He still grinned whenever he thought about the look on Romilda Vane's face.

When he got to the door, though, it was standing ajar. Puzzled, he pushed on it. It swung open with a creak. Harry looked through it, but he didn't see Luna. Her cloak was lying on the floor, though, in the middle of the room, and there were some papers scattered about. Something was wrong…very wrong. He cautiously drew his wand and stepped inside the flat. When he got near the bathroom door, he saw Luna's feet, and rushed forward. She was still lying on the floor, her face pressed against the tile, pale and clammy.

"Oh, my God!" Harry snatched a towel, and stood there for a moment, not knowing what to do with it.

Luna's eyes fluttered open. "Harry? Oh, Harry you came to me! You came to me!" she muttered.

Quite relieved to find her alive, and capable of speech, Harry stepped into the room and wet the towel. He then eased himself down beside her and gently wiped her sweaty face. Luna felt strong hands carefully raising her head, and found herself on a lap that was warm and comforting.

"Luna, you scared me. Hang on a minute. I'm going to take you to the hospital."

"NO!" She struggled to sit up and he held her tight.

"Luna, you're ill. You can't just lie here on the floor. You need a healer."

"No. I'm not ill. Not really."

"Then what the hell is wrong with you?" Harry asked, exasperated.

She told him. She didn't know what else to do. He didn't faint, or cry, or scream, as she'd been afraid he would do. He just sat there on the floor speechless, for what seemed an age, then said, stunned, "Are you sure? Why didn't you tell me, for Merlin's sake?"

" I just found out." She closed her eyes again, and lay still in his arms, afraid to look at him, afraid to move. "I didn't know how to tell you, and I didn't know what to do. I wasn't sure if you'd want to help or not."

His arm tightened around her. "What's that supposed to mean? You think I'd run out on my own kid?" Harry looked off into space, and seemed to be talking to himself. "I've been rushing around like mad, trying to find something to do with my life. I've been trying to find a purpose, something that would matter, something that would last. Maybe this is it. If things always happen for a reason, maybe this is it. This baby is a Potter. It's mine. I've never had a family. I can have that now. I don't have to worry about what I'll be any more. I can just be what I am, as I used to do. It's done."

It felt a bit odd to have him thinking out loud above her, as if she weren't even there, but the words were comforting. Luna opened her eyes, and Harry looked down at her, his own eyes flashing with determination.

"There's only one thing for it, Luna. We'll have to get married."

"Harry, you don't really want to marry me, do you?" She did sit up, then, and looked at him sadly.

"What the hell else? You need me, Luna. Admit it, you do, and this is my child we're talking about. I have to be here for it. I need to be needed, just as much" He looked around. "You can't have it here, anyway. The first time it walked, it would fall down those stairs. This is no place for a baby. We can fix up a nice nursery at Grimmauld Place. The elves would love that. Or we can get a new place, but you can't do this on your own. You just can't."

She looked at him steadily. "I won't marry you for your name, or for your money, or for your house. I won't marry you because I need you to feel responsible for me. I will marry you because you're a good man, and I'd like to be your wife. I trust you with my life, and I trust you to be a good father. This is our child, Harry. I know what family means to you, I will try my best to make sure you'll never be sorry, in spite of what everyone else will say."

"What do you mean?"

"Harry, you're famous. When this gets out, everyone in the wizarding world will feel sorry for you, getting struck with the Quibbler editor's loony daughter. Rita Skeeter will probably have a coronary."

"That might be a good thing," Harry said, smiling slightly, "but you're right. We had better do this quietly. Luna, what about going to a muggle registry office? A muggle wedding is valid in the wizarding world, isn't it? And we could probably manage it with less fuss."

She considered this. "What would we have to do?"

Harry thought for a moment. "We'd need muggle birth certificates, to get a license. Did your parents get you one when they got your wizarding one?"

"Yes. It's in that trunk in the closet, with the rest of the papers Daddy had in his desk."

"We'd have to have witnesses." Harry hesitated. "I 'd like to have someone we know there, instead of just anyone that happens to be standing around the office. Would you mind terribly if I asked Ron?"

"No, that would be very nice. Tell him to bring Hermione, too," Luna answered, knowing what this would mean to him. The trio wasn't the same as it used to be, but if Harry were going to get through this, he would need his two best friends.

Harry brightened. "I'll go ask them, first thing in the morning. You need to rest. I'll stay with you tonight and make sure you're okay, then tomorrow I'll go see about it, and I'll let you know." He helped her up, stood by as she washed her face and hands, and got her a glass of water. Harry put Luna to bed very carefully, fluffing her pillows before stretching out beside her. "Get some sleep, Luna, and I'll think about how to wrap this up." She went to sleep at once, curled up at his side, but Harry stayed awake for hours thinking about what this was going to mean to him.

I'm going to be a father, he thought. I'm going to have a child of my own, my very own family. I wonder if it will be a boy or a girl? I wonder if it will look as much like me as I looked like my father? I wonder if it will be a Ravenclaw or a Gryffindor? Perhaps Ron and Hermione will be the godparents, or maybe Remus and Tonks. It has to be a magical child, doesn't it? God, I hope so, but if it's a squib, I will take care of it just as well as if it were a little witch or wizard.

He looked at Luna as she slept. Luna Lovegood, he thought. Who would ever have expected this? But it will be okay. It had to be. He remembered Luna, coming out of the greenhouse at Hogwarts, with her pale hair piled up high and a smudge of dirt on her nose, to tell him she believed him about fighting Voldemort. Luna had always believed in him.

He shuddered as he thought about the awful night Sirius had died. If Luna hadn't thought of riding thestrals, would they have ever gotten to the Ministry? Would Sirius still be alive? But that was not her fault. That was his. Luna was smart. The image of her riding a thestral sidesaddle made him smile.

He remembered the way Romilda Vane and her friends had made fun of Luna on the train, and how shocked they had been when he called her and Neville his friends. Luna was a real friend, not someone devious like Romilda. Luna was always honest.

He thought of her at his side at Slughorns's party, of her hand in his, trusting him as he pulled her about. She had always trusted him. She had made him laugh. She had been so happy to be with him, that her happiness had made her as beautiful as he had ever seen her.

Luna and Neville had been the only ones from the DA to answer Hermione's call for help the night Dumbledore had died. Luna was faithful. She would go on being faithful to him. Harry was sure of that. Things could be worse. And she had certainly been completely uninhibited when they had made love. That had been wonderful. He could certainly put up with their marital relations.

"Just my luck…one shot in the dark, and she winds up pregnant," Harry said to himself, shaking his head. Well, not one, actually. Three times, and he'd never know which one it was. It didn't make any difference. He drifted off to sleep, thinking about how to pull off a very simple wedding, with no fanfare. He didn't need the press nosing in right now. There'd be time to deal with all of that later. When he woke up, she was looking into his eyes, as if she were trying to memorize his face.

"Hi," he said. "Do you feel better?"

"Much," she replied. "I think it was the stress or the shock that made me sick."

"Or the baby," he answered.

"It's not a baby yet. It's an embryo."

"Whatever. If you feel better," he said, "I think there's more to us getting together than stress and shock." He leaned over and started kissing her mouth, and neither of them thought about any of the problems they were facing for a little while.

They were married two weeks later. It was an eventful two weeks. After leaving Luna's flat, Harry went straight to the Hermione's flat, knowing that she and Ron usually had a quiet dinner alone together on Wednesdays, and then spent the night together.

When Hermione's bright brown eye appeared in the security hole, Harry got an attack of nerves. Ron and Hermione's opinion mattered to him. He respected them more than any other two people he knew, and if they were disappointed in him, he would never feel the same about himself, but he had to do what he had to do. Luna was having his baby, and he was going to be there for it, no matter what.

Hermione opened the door, tugging the belt of her dressing gown around her tightly. "Harry! What are you doing here?" Ron came loping into the hall in a T-shirt and baggy pants, looking sheepish about being caught there at that hour of the morning. He looked concerned at the same time.

"I need to talk to you both. It's important." They all went into the small living room, and Ron and Hermione sat down expectantly, on the edge of the sofa. Harry dropped into the chair across from them, and leaned forward, looking at his knuckles. After an awkward silence, Harry began to speak very fast. "I'm going to get married, and I have to do it quickly, and without a lot of fuss, so I'm not inviting a lot of people to come, but I'd like the two of you to be the witnesses, but you can't tell anyone before hand."

"Whaaaa?" Ron said, stunned. "What do you mean married?"

"I'm going to marry Luna Lovegood, as quickly as I can."

"Luna?" Ron said incredulously, but Hermione simply let out a small cry as he continued. "You're having us on, right, mate?"

"No," Harry said, "I'm not."

"Oh, Harry!" Hermione wailed, leaning back into the cushions, and curling her feet up under her, as if she were suddenly cold. Harry knew then that she knew. He looked at Ron, who still looked astounded. Was it possible that Ron hadn't guessed? Ron should have known at once that Harry would never do something like this without a reason.

"Why would you want to marry Luna?" Ron began, but Hermione gave him a withering look.

"Is Luna in trouble, Harry?" Hermione asked sternly.

He looked her straight in the eye. "She was, Hermione. She's not any more."

"What do you mean not anymore? What did she do with it?" Hermione asked, wide-eyed.

"Don't talk about it that way," Harry said firmly. "Don't make it sound like it's something sordid, because it's not. It's going to be okay."

Ron always slow to piece things together, caught on. "Luna…you and Luna…you and Luna did…that?"

"God, Ron, build a bridge and get over it!" Harry looked exasperated. "Look, will you come or not? I want you to be there. I want someone there who cares about us, but this is going to be a great piece of gossip. I have to keep it low-key. I want to go to a muggle registry, and do it as quickly as I can."

"In two weeks," Hermione said swiftly. "Bill and Fleur are coming for a visit from France. It's their first time back since they moved there. Molly is having a big dinner party for them. She's going to invite you, and Remus and Tonks, too. Everyone that matters will be there." She spoke in a decisive tone, and Harry marveled at Hermione's ability to digest the indigestible, and without even a hiccup proceed to come up with the right plan.

"If you get married in the morning the day of the party," she continued, "then you can come to the party with Luna, and tell everyone at once. You have to tell them right away, Harry. Do you want them to read about it in the papers the next day? And the papers are going to find out, even if they don't break in on the ceremony. They have people who watch those muggle licenses, because so many wizards and witches marry muggles nowadays."

Harry winced. He did not want the people closest to him to find out in such a cold way. Hermione was right. He had to tell them in person. "All right. That's what we'll do."

"It may be all to the good," Ron said. "No one will be able to go ballistic in front of a crowd, but I bet Mum and Ginny cry for a solid week. Gin's going to be furious."

"Ginny and I broke up, ages ago," Harry said. "What happened between me and Luna had nothing to do with Ginny."

"It's still going to be a shock," Ron argued. "No one thought you and Luna were this serious. How long has this been going on, anyway?"

"Since her dad died. Since his funeral. When she came home with me that night, that's when it happened. I was trying to comfort her, and it kind of got out of hand."

"You only did it once, and you're going to marry her?" Ron asked, shocked.

"It was more than once, It was three times, well, then anyway, and then once since then." Harry blushed at Ron and Hermione gave him horrified looks.

"Too much information!" Ron said, clapping his hands over his ears.

"Well, if you don't want to know, don't ask," Harry said irritably.

When he got home, Errol was there, with Mrs. Weasley's invitation to the party. Harry decided to go and see her the next day. He wanted to at least ask her if he could bring Luna along. He thought it might lessen the shock a little, and give the Weasleys something to look back on, so they would not think he had totally deceived them.

When Harry got to the Burrow. Molly was in the kitchen fixing lunch, and Harry suddenly realized he'd had no breakfast.

"Have a sandwich, Harry dear," she said, dealing bread out onto the counter. " I didn't expect to see you today." She piled some ham on the bread, and handed it to him.

"Thanks, Mrs. Weasley. I just came by to tell you I got the invitation to your party." As Harry bit into his sandwich, Molly sighed.

"It will be so nice to see Bill and Fleur here again. I so wish they hadn't gone back to France to live after the war. I miss them. I want this to be a very memorable occasion." She poured Harry a glass of milk as if he were six.

"I'm sure it will be," Harry said, wincing.

"Fred and George are coming, of course, and Remus and Tonks. You'll come, won't you?" Mrs. Weasley glanced up at him, as she dumped some dishes into the sink.

Harry swallowed hard. The sandwich was sitting in his throat like a rock. He drank some of the milk. "I want to, but I was wondering something. Could I bring Luna Lovegood? I've been spending a lot of time with her since her father died, and I would really like to bring her along."

Molly, who had just waved her wand to start the dishes washing, stopped short and stared at him. "Why, yes, dear, of course. Luna Lovegood…why didn't I think of it? The poor child! She's probably been very lonely since her father died. How sweet of you to check in on her! I don't see why we can't be more involved with Luna. Do you want me to ask her?"

"I can just bring her with me," Harry said casually, adding his plate and glass to the ones in the sink. "Thanks, Mrs. Weasley. He gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, a Judas kiss, and went to tell Luna the plan.

She agreed, not knowing what else to do, and spent the next few days going through her meager things, looking for something to wear at the wedding, and trying to decide what she would move to Harry's first, and what could wait. Two days before the wedding, Mr. Hunnicutt came upstairs, looking harried.

"Luna, I need your help. A man named Rory Mayer is downstairs. He wants to give us a big advertising contract."

"It sounds like you're doing fine without my help, if it's a big one," she said, smiling.

"Yes, but it is going to take awhile to work out. This man has his nephew visiting from America and brought him along. Could you take the nephew off somewhere while we hammer out the details?"

Luna didn't know what else to do so she went downstairs. The nephew turned out to be a very handsome young man, with curly blonde hair and sapphire blue eyes. His name was Nicholas Mayer, and he had a lovely smile and a breezy manner. After the introductions were made, and the adults had gone, Luna stood staring at him helplessly. What on earth was she to do with this boy?

"I heard your father recently died. I'm sorry," he said kindly. His voice had an odd twang to it, but it was not unpleasant.

"Yes, it was very sad. How are you enjoying your visit to England?"

"I was born in Scotland. I've been here many times before. I wonder why I never met you before? But I've lived in Chicago since I was ten."

"Chicago," laughed Luna. "What an interesting place! Daddy took me to Chicago once. We rode up and down Archer Avenue for three nights, trying to meet Resurrection Mary, the hitchhiking ghost."

Nicholas' face brightened. "Did you go to the Melody Lounge?"

"Yes, to warm up once in awhile. Those were very cold nights."

"It's not cold now. It's much warmer than I expected. I think it's the first time I've been to London that it hasn't rained. Is there anyplace around here we could get an ice cream?"

She took him to Florean Fortescue's ice cream parlor, which was now doing good business again. They found out that they both adored chocolate sundaes with lots of whipped cream. He seemed surprised that she was just eighteen. He was twenty-one. "You looked older than that, or should I say wiser. Do you work on the Quibbler full-time?"

"Oh, no, I just left Hogwarts. I'm not working anywhere yet full-time," Luna said, and suddenly realized she would probably never work anywhere for the rest of her life. She had totally forgotten about becoming a mother, and marrying Harry. She supposed Harry would want her to concentrate completely on the child they were having, or their children, full-time. She would probably have many children, she realized suddenly, considering how easily she had gotten caught with this first one.

Nicholas began to talk about the school he had gone to in America, and Luna got back into the conversation. When it seemed that enough time had passed, she suggested going back to the Quibbler office. Nicholas was looking at her fondly, in a way that surprised her.

"Will you write to me?" he said as they reached the building.

She looked at him blankly.

"I'll write to you, of course," he grinned.

"I'll try." Luna said stupidly.

"What do you mean, you'll try?" He took out a quill and copied the address off the building. Luna wondered why he would want to do that, but put it out of her mind.

When Harry picked Luna up the morning of the wedding, it was a bright sunny day. She had been ready for an hour, her and all of the butterflies in her stomach. She was wearing the only white dress she owned, white with a yellow rose at the neck, and yellow flat shoes.

"You look very nice. Are you okay?" Harry asked gently, as they walked quickly up Diagon Alley and through the Leaky Cauldron to the muggle street beyond.

"I'm okay. You look nice, too, " Luna said, looking at Harry's neat navy blue blazer and tie, and black trousers. His shoes were polished like glass, and his pale blue shirt was neatly pressed. "Why are we going so early? I thought Hermione and Ron were going to meet us at eleven."

"We have something we have to do first," Harry said. He took her elbow and the feel of his hand, strong and firm, guiding her along was reassuring. She glanced up at him.

"I had hoped you might come to see me last night," she said softly.

"I was at Gringotts in the afternoon, taking care of some business. This is part of it," he said firmly, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a key. "Once we marry, you will be able to get into my vault. His key is for you. I had a copy made, so it would be ready for you."

Luna shrank back, coming to a halt on the sidewalk. "Harry, I told you, I don't want your money."

"You have to be able to get at it, if anything happens," Harry argued. "I cleaned my closet last night, so you will have room for your clothes when we live together."

"Did you say anything to the elves?" Luna asked, twining her fingers through his.

"Not yet. We'll have time after. Speaking of money again, I had some wizarding gold changed into muggle money. Here's where we have to go now." He opened a large glass door, and steered her into a large muggle department store. They went up to a jewelry counter.

"Can I help you?" asked a clerk.

"I'd like a set of wedding rings, please," Harry said firmly.

The clerk showed them several types of rings, and Luna tried to pick the plainest one, but Harry insisted on getting her a diamond eternity ring, with a plain gold band for himself. Luna tried to argue.

"Harry, that costs too much."

"I can get this one," Harry assured her. "I have enough. Now let's get going. We have to meet Hermione and Ron at the registry office in twenty minutes." He paid for the rings in cash, counting out the bills carefully. As he and Luna left the counter, their clerk looked across at another clerk.

"Registry office, huh? They look pretty young, don't they? Well, at least he has money. Another premature baby on the way, I suppose."

Her friend shrugged. "Come on, aren't most first babies premature?"

When Harry and Luna got to the registry office, Hermione and Ron were waiting. Hermione was carrying a bouquet of white roses, which she handed to Luna. "Here. We got you these."

"Thank you," Luna said softly, taking them. "They're lovely."

Luna held onto her bouquet tightly, as she and Harry were married. She tried to concentrate on the clerk's voice, saying warmly, "We are gathered here…" and not on Harry who was looking determined, not happy, or on Ron, whose ears got very red during the ceremony, something that always happened when he was deeply upset. The ring felt cold as it slid onto her finger, and her hand trembled as she put the ring on Harry's finger. The shining gold looked odd there. She had never seen Harry wear any jewelry. He hadn't even had a watch that worked for years.

When the clerk said, "You may kiss the bride," Harry looked startled, then embarrassed. He gave Luna a kiss on the cheek. They all signed the necessary papers, the clerk stamped the license to make it legal, and the group found themselves out on the sidewalk.

"We'll see you later, I suppose," said Hermione awkwardly. "We have to get back to the Burrow to help Molly prepare for the party."

"Yes, we'll be along later," said Harry. He took Luna's hand and led her away. "We need to go to Grimmauld Place. I've got some explaining to do there, too." Luna didn't answer.

Ron and Hermione watched them go and then looked at each other.

"This is not going to last," Ron said, shaking his head. "I love Luna to bits, but I can not picture her being married to Harry. I do not think this is going to last."

"I do," said Hermione. "Harry is not the type to do anything halfway. Even if he thinks he did the wrong thing, he'll never tell anyone, and he has never wanted anything as much as he's wanted a family of his own."

"He's part of my family!" Ron yelped, insulted. "He's a part of my family, like you're part of my family."

"Yes, but it's not the same thing, Ron," Hermione said gently.

"Oh, well, at least he got out of having to plan a big wedding, and they won't have any in-law problems. There's something to be said for that."

"There is," said Hermione mischievously, " but we certainly can't say it." She leaned toward Ron, and grinning, he gave her a long kiss.

When Luna and Harry got into the hallway of Grimmauld place, Harry stood in front of the portrait of Mrs. Black, and called for the house elves. Dobby and Winky hurried up to him. Kreacher took longer, slinking in as usual. The elves all stared confused at Luna, who stood holding her flowers tightly.

"Luna and I were married this morning," Harry told them firmly. "She is your mistress now, and I expect you to continue to make her feel at home, as you have always done."

Kreacher gave a small snort of disgust, and Mrs. Black rolled her eyes. "I knew it! I just knew it! I knew something was going on with you two, right from the start. I suppose you're going to have a baby," she said snidely, and Harry gave her a withering look, but Winky let out a glad cry, and threw her small arms around Harry's middle.

"Oh, Harry Potter! Winky is so happy! Winky has a house, and a family now, and there will be baby to take care of, and Winky will work hard for you, like she did in the old days."

Dobby came and hugged Harry, too, to his intense embarrassment. "Dobby is happy, too, for Harry Potter, and Miss Luna. It is very exciting. Dobby hopes Harry Potter and Miss Luna will be very happy." He looked at Luna. "What can Dobby do first for Harry Potter's new wife?"

"Well, I have some things packed at my flat, that need to be brought over here," she said slowly. "They're standing in the middle of the floor, just as you walk into the place."

"Okay, Dobby, you and Kreacher go do that," Harry said. "Bring them here, and put them in my bedroom. Luna and I are going to be rearranging things there for awhile." He led Luna up the stairs, into his room. She looked around.

"This is a nice room. What do we have to rearrange?"

Harry walked over to the closet. "I cleared this side for your clothes," he said awkwardly, and I emptied the bottom two shelves of the wardrobe. You can have the bottom drawer in the desk for your papers. We can start with this." He put the marriage license into the empty drawer.

"I don't have that many clothes," Luna said, looking into the closet.

"You can go get whatever you need, now that you have a proper home," Harry said, but Luna shook her head.

"It's no use buying much now. Anything I get now won't fit me in another couple of months." She looked down at her belly sadly. "The baby will start showing soon, and then everyone will know you had to marry me."

"I didn't have to," Harry corrected her. He ran his hand through his untidy black hair, as he always did when he was thinking hard, and Luna saw the flash of gold that was his wedding ring. It startled her. "I wanted to marry you," he continued. "Do you really think anyone could force me to do anything I didn't want to do? You know me better than that. I'm very stubborn, you know. Do you really care what people say? You never have in the past."

"I care because you care. You know you do. It hurts to have to care what people think, because I never have before, but I never wanted to cause you any trouble. I wouldn't have stayed in heaven with you, if I thought it would cause you pain, and this frightens me. I know you're stubborn. That's why you did this, but it's going to be hard at times, Harry. It's going to be hard tonight. "

"We'll manage," said Harry shrugging. "Go freshen up, pin on a smile, and let's get to it."


	2. Chapter 2

Mr. and Mrs. Potter

The Middle

When Harry and Luna arrived at the Burrow, everyone else was already there. Fleur rushed up to him and gave him a hug. Luna watched them, frowning slightly. She never knew how to take this girl, who had sat right across from her at the Ravenclaw table for weeks, and never even noticed her. Fleur had been polite enough to the little neighbor girl, when Luna and her father had come to Bill's wedding, but even then the French girl had not been overly friendly to her.

"At last, 'Arry! Zey told me you were coming, but 'oo is zis?" She shook back her mane of silvery blonde hair and eyed Luna curiously, as everyone else looked up expectantly.

"This is my wife, Luna," Harry said, reaching out to clasp Luna's hand. His fingers felt rather cold.

For a moment, there was dead silence. Then Fleur looked at Luna, her blue eyes wide. "No one told us zis! When did you wed?"

"This morning. Ron and Hermione were the witnesses," Harry said, looking at Ron in mute appeal.

Molly Weasley turned on Ron. "Is this true?"

When Ron nodded uncomfortably, grabbing Hermione's hand for his own moral support, his mother gasped. "And you didn't tell us?"

"We told him not to," Luna said softly. "We wanted to tell you ourselves, didn't we Harry?"

"Yeah, we did." Harry looked around the room at everyone. Arthur looked stunned. Remus and Tonks were looking at each other, with worried expressions on their faces. Ginny looked furious. Fred and George looked as if Christmas had come early.

"Way to go, Potter," Fred said, grinning. "The idea of you married and settled down is pretty bizarre, but congratulations."

"Yeah," said George, turning to Luna, and giving her a congratulatory hug, which drew her and Harry into the room. "I don't know what you see in him, but he's not so bad once you get to know him."

"I…have to go to the kitchen," Molly said weakly. "I'll have to change the cakes. They'll have to become wedding cakes. Everyone should have a proper wedding cake." She rushed out and as she did so, Ginny took off up the stairs, her face flaming.

"Yes, congratulations," Remus Lupin said, coming to kiss Luna's cheek. "This is exciting news! Your parents would be so happy for both of you."

"You're so lucky, Luna," Tonks said quickly. "It took me forever to convince Remus to marry me."

Bill stepped up, put his arm around Fleur and said, "Yes, congratulations. My sister-in-law will be disappointed, though. I still think Gabrielle was hoping you'd wait until she grew up." He winked and Harry blushed.

"How is she?" Harry asked hastily.

"Oh, we see 'er often," Fleur said. "We 'ave a place not far from my parents. It is in wine country. You must come and see us soon."

"I could use a bit more wine myself," said George. "Want one, Harry?"

"Yes, please," Harry answered. "How about you, Luna?"

"I'd better not," she said, and Remus and Tonks looked at each other, worried again. "Maybe some tea for me." She and Harry sat on the sofa, and Fleur sat across from them with Bill.

"You 'ave a lovely wedding ring," Fleur said, when Luna held out her hand to take the cup of tea that George had magicked up. "Did 'Arry choose it?'

"We picked them out together," Luna said softly.

"We have a new joke ring at our shop," Fred interjected. "It's called the Gorilla ring. When you put it on, you sprout hair all over."

"I'm sure there's a crying need for that," Bill retorted, sitting back comfortably with his arm around Fleur.

"Don't knock it," Fred said, propping himself on the arm of the sofa. "We're doing so well, we're thinking of taking over the old Zonko building. It's been closed since the war started, but with Hogwarts getting back to normal, I think they'll be a market for a joke shop in Hogsmeade again."

Luna set down her teacup on the small table next to the sofa. She needed to go to the loo. She had to go so frequently now. It was frustrating. "Excuse me, I'll be right back." Harry watched her rise and started to follow her.

"Are you all right?" he whispered in her ear.

"Fine. I just drank that tea too fast."

"You are sweet, "Arry, to worry about your new bride so," Fleur purred. "Come and sit down and tell us more about your wedding. An elopement can be so romantic, yes?"

Luna slipped away and went up the stairs to the nearest bathroom. She used the toilet, and washed her hands, and tried to smooth her hair, which was a wasted effort. "This baby will have the messiest hair in history!" she muttered to herself. As she walked out of the bathroom, she heard voices coming from down the hall. She hated people who eavesdropped, but when she heard her name mentioned, she couldn't resist standing behind the next door down.

Ginny was snarling. "This is so stupid! Harry and Luna? Married? Don't make me laugh. Harry can't possibly love Luna. I mean, honestly, Luna Lovegood? We're talking about Luna Lovegood here! What a farce!"

Luna, shrinking against the wall, heard Tonks answer quietly. "If they say they are married, then they are Ginny. This is not the kind of thing Harry would do for a joke. It's real, Ginny, whatever the reason, and we have to accept it. What else can we do? If he loves her, and she can make him happy, we have to accept it."

"Aren't you listening to me? I know Harry doesn't love her. He can't possibly! It's just another one of Harry's stupid noble gestures that's what it is! He probably just feels sorry for her, because her father died. Harry can't possibly love her for herself. What can she do for him? What can she do for Harry? She's not even pretty, and she's never been popular. He probably thinks he's the only one who understands what it's like to be an orphan, so he has to save her from being alone. What a fool he's being!"

Luna started as a strong hand took her firmly by the elbow to lead her away. They stopped on the stairs, and looking up at Harry, with unshed tears glistening in her eyes, Luna whispered, "Oh, Harry! Did you hear all of that?"

"Most of it, I think," Harry admitted. "I was worried about you. I was afraid you were ill again, so I came looking for you. Luna, I'm sorry you had to hear that, but that's just the way Ginny is. She'll never understand. So what? It doesn't matter. Don't go getting hysterical or starting a war."

"She's the one who's starting a war! I'm nobody, is that it? Do you feel that way, too? How horrible! Harry Potter got stuck for giving the little nobody a break!" Luna did begin to cry then, but Harry shushed her quickly, smoothing the pale hair away from her damp cheek.

"I've never said that, and you'll never hear me say it. You have always been someone to me. You were always a person in your own right, and you still are." He took out his handkerchief, and wiped her face. "Now don't cry anymore. Come down and have some dinner. You'll feel better if you get something to eat. The baby will starve if you don't eat."

She closed her eyes for a moment, and then nodded. Harry smiled, and kissed her and Luna got the feeling, that even if he did not yet love her, he might learn to. If nothing else, she understood what it meant to be the mother of Harry Potter's child. He was not, she was certain, going to leave his child's mother readily for another.

"Hey, none of that, you newlyweds!" George bellowed, coming into the hall below. "Where are Tonks and Ginny? Why do women always have to go the bathroom in pairs?"

Tonks and Ginny appeared at the top of the stairs. "What are you yelling about, you idiot?" Ginny asked grumpily.

"It's time to eat and I just caught Mr. and Mrs. Potter snogging on the stairs! Look at her face, how red it is! Are you sure we're not related some way, Luna? You look like Ron does when Fleur's around. Save it for later will you?" He trooped off, and Harry and Luna followed. Harry could almost feel Ginny's eyes boring a hole in his back.

They got through the dinner party with no more incidents. The one good thing about having Fleur around was that she talked a lot, so no one else had to. Mr. Weasley did discuss how well Harry had been received at the media meeting, though, and asked Harry if he would be willing to do a few more public speeches on behalf of magic/muggle relations.

"If it's something I believe in, and not just Ministry propaganda, yes," Harry said firmly.

Luna and Harry were both exhausted from the strain when they got home, and by the time Luna had bathed, Harry was already asleep. She had planned to lie awake crying all night, but the minute her head hit the pillow she was out like a snuffed candle.

When she woke up in the morning, Harry was walking into the bedroom from the shower, smelling of soap, his hair spiking up here and there like little, wet horns. His eyes were greener than she had ever seen them, and he was wearing nothing but a towel. Luna was slightly embarrassed. In spite of the fact that she had already seen him in even less than a towel, she wasn't completely used to having a man walking around her bedroom with practically nothing on.

"You were sleeping with your mouth open," Harry said, sitting down on the side of the bed.

"Was I really? How awful."

"I should have said with your lips parted. It sounds better."

"I'm not used to having people spy on me while I sleep."

"I wasn't spying. I was taking inventory. Move over." She moved over. He flicked off the towel and got into bed beside her. He scooped her shoulders into the crook of his arm. "Welcome to day two. This is for all of the people who said it wouldn't last."

Luna had to smile then.

She was still smiling when Harry opened his eyes about an hour later and said, "I'll race you getting dressed."

"But I don't want to get dressed." Harry was about to make a remark he might have regretted, when someone knocked on the door. Luna hastily pulled the sheet up to her chin.

"What is it?" called Harry, smoothing his side of the sheet over his lap.

The door swung open, and Dobby and Winky appeared, carrying breakfast trays. Their tennis ball sized eyes got even larger when they saw Harry and Luna scowling at them over the sheet, obviously unclothed..

"Excuse please," Dobby said, "but we thought Harry Potter and Miss Luna might want breakfast in bed. We has eggs, and toast and orange juice and coffee, and bacon. We did not mean to intrude."

"Dobby, Winky, I would love breakfast in bed," Luna assured the elves, as she tucked in the sheet a bit more firmly. "I haven't had breakfast in bed, since I was a little girl. My mum used to bring me breakfast in bed when I wasn't feeling well. This is sweet of you."

"Thank you, Miss." Dobby looked at Harry. "Is Harry Potter angry with Dobby?"

"Not at all," said Harry, smelling the hot coffee and suddenly feeling very hungry. "Thank you."

After he had given Harry his tray, and Winky had given hers to Luna, the elves hesitated. "The newspaper came, sir. Harry Potter is on the front page." Dobby extended the newspaper carefully, as if it were a bomb about to go off. Harry dropped his end of the sheet and snatched the paper, and Winky backed hastily out of the room.

"Oh, damn! Not already." He flipped it open and scanned it quickly. "Hermione was right," he said to Luna. "They must have been monitoring the registry office records, and then spoken to the clerks. There's not much here but the basics."

He began to read out loud. "Surprise Elopement! Secret sources tell the Prophet that Harry Potter and Luna Lovegood were married yesterday morning in a private ceremony at a muggle registry office in London. Muggle-born witch Hermione Granger was the maid of honor and Ronald Weasley, son of Ministry official Arthur Weasley, was the best man. The bride wore a white dress trimmed with yellow and carried a bouquet of white rosebuds. No further information is available at this time, but the staff of the Prophet joins our readers in wishing the happy couple all the best."

Harry looked over at Luna. "Isn't that special? We'll probably start getting owls within the hour."

Dobby, who had been edging his way toward the door, looked sheepish. "Harry Potter has already gotten mail. Does he want Dobby to bring it up here?"

"Hell, no," said Harry. "Sort it out, though. If you think it's from someone I know, set it in one pile, and if you aren't sure who sent it, set it in another. We'll be down after we eat and get dressed to look it over."

After they ate, they got involved with other things, however, and it took them awhile to get finished. When they finally did wander downstairs, they had large piles of mail, and Dobby and Winky were hard-pressed to organize the owls that were arriving every few minutes. One pile consisted of the mail from people Dobby thought Harry knew. One was undetermined, and sitting off by itself was a single envelope addressed directly to Luna alone.

"That is from the Quibbler office," Dobby said, pointing it out to her, "so Dobby kept it separate. Dobby thought it might be important business." Luna reached for this envelope as Harry dug into the pile of letters from friends and acquaintances.

"Oh," he said, "this one is from the Diggorys. They are congratulating us. Mrs. Diggory wants to know if we'd like to come to lunch sometime."

"Maybe later, when we get better organized," Luna said. "I like them. She was very nice to me and to dad when Mum died. They lived quite near us, you know."

"I'm going to get some parchment, so we can start writing back to the people we need to answer," Harry said. He got a box and several quills and bottles of ink from a drawer, and set them on the table between the piles of letters, pausing only to tell Hedwig to be quiet. The white owl was aggravated, whether or not it was from the visits of so many strange owls, or because she could sense that Harry and Luna were in for a trying day, he could not tell. He began an answer to Mrs. Diggory as Luna saw that inside the envelope from the Quibbler office, there was a smaller envelope from America. Frowning, Luna tore it open.

Dear Luna,

What a wonderful name! Inky skies, sparkling stars, and moonlight come immediately to mind. Meeting you was the best thing that happened to me on my trip to London. It seems like I've known you forever. That happens sometimes, you know. And it isn't only because you're a woman and I'm a man, although I'm very happy that that is so.

I forgot to ask, do you like animals? Not ordinary house pets, but really exotic animals? I'm a volunteer at a private wizarding zoo just outside of the city, and it gets pretty interesting. I'll tell you all about it next time if you won't be too bored.

Have you set a course for yourself yet, or are you still recovering from the events of the last year? I may be coming back to England after this year, as my father would like to see me continue to be involved with my uncle's advertising business. Wizarding/muggle communications seems to be a growing business, and if it continues to do well, my uncle may be able to exercise a little nepotism.

I will tell you more about THAT when you write back to me, which you may do by giving your owl the address at the top of this page. I will sit right here and wait until you do.

Yours,

Nicholas

Luna stared at the letter. This was the young man she had gone to get ice cream with in Diagon Alley, and he was flirting with her. She'd never had a man flirt with her before, but it was even obvious to her that that's what he was doing. She glanced up at Harry, who was still writing his letter. She had never mentioned Nicholas to him, thinking it unimportant. She had even forgotten that he had promised to write her.

Dobby came into the room looking harried. "The Longbottom boy's head is in the fire in the drawing room. Would Harry Potter like to speak to him?"

"Neville? Oh, God! Yes, I'd better." He got up and hurried out. Luna picked up a piece of parchment and quickly wrote:

Dear Nicholas:

Thank you for your nice letter. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed your visit to Britain. I agree that the communications business is going through a lot of transitions right now, which will mean great new opportunities. I hope your uncle will have much success. We at the Quibbler certainly look forward to doing business with him again.

I too have made transition, a very happy one. I am now married to a wonderful man, and I hope to live, as the saying goes, happily ever after. Perhaps when you come to Britain next year, my husband and I will run into you.

Best of luck!

Luna Lovegood Potter

As Luna was writing to Nicholas, Harry was talking to Neville.

"Is it true?" asked Neville. "Are you and Luna really married?"

"Yes," Harry assured him, holding up his hand so Neville could see the ring on his finger.

Neville gaped so that he swallowed a mouthful of soot, and began to choke. "I couldn't believe it. I still can't," he said, when he had finished coughing. "Neither could Gran, but she wants to do something for you. What would you like? A wedding shower? We could have an evening party, mixed. It would be good for Gran. You know she can't get out much now, and I can't leave her alone. It would cheer her up. Just tell me. We want to do something."

"I don't know," Harry said doubtfully. "I'd have to talk to Luna. I don't think showers are in order after you're married, and I really don't want people thinking they'd have to buy us presents. We don't need anything. I'm not sure Luna would be up to an evening party."

"Why wouldn't she be up to it? It wouldn't have to be anything really fancy," Neville argued.

"Maybe later," Harry said, "when we get settled." He knew Neville would catch on soon enough.

"Yes, sure. Just let us know," Neville said, in a hurt voice. Neville sounded like Ron had done. He obviously hadn't put one and one together and gotten three yet. Harry sighed. He went back to the table, and Luna hastily shoved the letter from Nicholas, and her reply into her pocket. As luck would have it, her letter to him tore. They continued to open mail. Some of the mail, especially the letters from people who knew them, turned out to be kind and tactful, wishing them well.

Not all of it was positive, though. Some of it was incredulous. Some of it was cruel, accusing Luna of all sorts of things, such as deliberately tricking Harry into marriage by using love potions, or spells. Some Prophet readers guessed rightly that Luna was pregnant, and many had written to Harry telling him to make sure the baby was his, accusing Luna of being a slag, or of getting pregnant on purpose to trap Harry. These letters upset Luna.

Harry tried to dismiss them several times as they day wore on. "Luna, there are people who always say unkind things when someone runs off and gets married. I'm used to getting nasty mail. You aren't. You'll learn not to take it so seriously after awhile. We can just chuck the bad ones into the fire."

"I never was with anyone but you, Harry," she said tearfully. "You have to believe me. I'll take veritaserum if I have to."

"I believe you. Do you honestly think I'd ask you to do anything of the sort? I do have to ask you to pull yourself together, if you can. We'll have to go out in public, and you can't let things you hear get to you."

Another owl came flying into the room, and Harry caught the letter it dropped before it could hit him on the head. He read it, and folded it up carefully, not letting her see it. "This is from Remus Lupin. I have to go and see him and Tonks tonight. I'll be having dinner with them. You'll be all right, won't you? You can just tell Winky to make you something, whenever you get hungry."

Luna stared at him. He was going off, just like that, without even an if you please, or would you like to come along?

"Fine. Have fun," she said coldly.

He stared back. "Well, what else? Is there anything else you want me to do around here?"

"Not a thing. Like I said, have fun."

"You say that, but you don't sound like you mean it. You sound angry."

"Why should I be angry?"

"How the hell should I know? What I know about women wouldn't fill a goblet."

"Then don't try to fill one!" Luna walked out of the kitchen and went upstairs. She hadn't even reached the bedroom door, before she heard the front door slam. Harry had already gone. She sat down at the desk, and reached into her pocket. Pulling out Nicholas' letter, she crumpled up and threw her own torn one into the little bin next to the desk. She put his carefully into her bottom drawer, with the marriage license, and picked up a quill. Luna began to write a quite different response than she had originally planned.

Dear Nicholas,

I simply adored your letter. It came at a time when I was feeling quite low, and it picked me right up. I'm so glad you enjoyed your visit to London.

Yes, I adore animals. My father and I went to Sweden once to look for crumpled-horned snorkacks, and I once got to ride on a thestral. What sorts of animals do you help with? Please send me a picture if there are any snorkcacks, or if you ever see a heliopath. I have a friend who doesn't believe they even exist.

Goodness, how I do run on! It it's your fault, however, for getting me started. Are you sure you want to do that?

She hesitated a long time trying to decide how to sign it. Anything with yours in it was definitely out. Finally she wrote her name at the bottom of the page, her first name only, and sealed it. Writing it had been fun, almost like an essay for school, and she had always adored essays. She gave it to Hedwig, who eyed her suspiciously.

"It's just a pen-friend, Hedwig," she said. "Sort of a vacation from reality." Hedwig finally hooted softly, and flew away.

When Harry arrived at Lupin's, he found not only Remus and Tonks Lupin present, but Arthur and Molly Weasley were sitting around the kitchen table as well. They had already started to eat. It was quite obvious that they had been planning what to do when Harry finally got there. He groaned. "What is this? An intervention?"

"Harry, we're just worried about you," Arthur said, shooting Molly one of the looks he usually reserved for the times he was forced by her to meddle in someone else's business.

"Well, don't be. I'm fine." He sat at the kitchen table, and stared into the plate of stew that Tonks placed before him.

"Eat something, Harry, while we talk," she said calmly.

He tasted it, and found it excellent. Remus, who began to pick at his once more, said slowly, "We just have a few questions we want to ask you, as friends, who care about you."

"Only one question," Molly Weasley retorted. They all sat quietly for a moment, until Molly got up the nerve to begin again. "About last night, tell us the truth. Did you and Luna HAVE to get married?"

She was certainly asking for it, and Harry supposed he might as well let her have it. Now was as good a time as any time would ever be. He swallowed hard. "I didn't HAVE to do anything. I did it because I wanted to do it. Luna needs me. What do you want a signed confession? Yes, she's expecting a baby, but no one forced me into that, and no one forced me into this. Let's just say I'm a wanton person and leave it at that, shall we?"

"I wish I could believe that," Tonks said. "I wish I could believe that, and just call you a foolish hormonal kid, let myself feel superior, and let it go, but I can't. You're not usually this immature, Harry, and we want to make sure nothing happened to make you feel you were trapped into doing this. There were other options, you know."

"No, there were not," Harry snapped, slamming down his fork. "Luna never considered them, and I didn't either. This is my child. Don't listen to any of the lies anyone is spewing about that. She was a virgin when I took her, and she hasn't been with anyone else since. She's having my child, and I'm going to be there for it. Can't you see? All I ever wanted was family of my own, and I'm going to have one. It wasn't a difficult decision to make. No one had to force me into it. It's what I always wanted. This isn't the way I'd hoped or how I'd planned to get where I am, but nothing ever turns out the way I've planned."

Molly sniffled. "We were your family. Weren't we good enough for you? What made you want to hurt us? Is it because we tried too hard to be the parents you never had? Did you resent it? Why would you want to do something like this to us?"

"I didn't do it to you," he snapped. "I did it for me. It has nothing to do with anyone else. It's my business, and Luna's, and if anyone else asks you, you can tell them I said so."

Molly got up, and turned her back on the table. In the dim light of the kitchen, Harry could see her shoulders shaking, and even if he couldn't hear her, he knew she was crying. She finally said softly, "You're breaking my heart."

Harry relented. He did love the Weasleys, and he hated to see Molly so unhappy. He spoke more gently. "What do you think would have happened to Luna's, if I had slept with her, and then walked out on her? She loves me. I can see it in everything she says and does. If you think she had an ulterior motive in this, you're wrong. She's always been completely honest with me, completely loyal to me."

Remus interrupted. "Do you love her? Or are you just doing this out of loyalty?"

Harry paused. "I don't know how I feel, but I know what I have to do. I've never been so sure of anything. I don't know if it's a good decision or not, but it's one I've made for me, and those are the only good kinds to make."

Arthur cleared his throat, embarrassed. "It's not that we have anything against the girl. We hardly know her in fact, but we wanted to be sure…"

"Don't worry," Harry assured him. He looked at Molly who was looking back over her shoulder at him. "Now come sit down, Mrs. Weasley. It will be all right. When the baby comes, you'll see. I hereby declare it an honorary grandchild of yours. You'll probably love it to pieces the minute you see it."

"I hope it looks more like you," she said, smiling tremulously. "No offense Harry, but you have the prettiest eyes I've ever seen on a boy. Do you want a boy or a girl? When is the baby due?"

"I haven't thought about it. I just have to take what I get. You should know that better than anyone does," Harry teased her. "I don't know exactly when. Nine months from March, but as to an exact date, I have no clue."

"You'll have to get her to a healer, soon," Tonks said. "She needs to find out her due date, and find out if everything is going all right. How I do envy you. If only Remus and I…"

Remsu Lupin began to choke, and Tonks, giggling, got up to get another bottle of wine. Harry, laughing, poured himself a glass, after smacking Remus quickly on the back. Harry knew Tonks was just trying to be nice. She wouldn't want to be in Luna's shoes for all the gold in Gringotts. He changed the subject to Mr. Weasley's earlier suggestion that he go out in public more, and Mr. Weasley said they had gotten a request to have Harry speak to the Department of Mysteries staff on horcruxes. Harry readily agreed, and the evening became much more cordial.

After Harry had left Grimmauld Place, and she had finished her letter, Luna had sent the elves to bed. She went and got into bed herself and finally cried. She cried over every bad thing that had happened to her since the night she was born until that night. As soon as she stopped crying, she began to get nervous. She began hearing things, like scratchy noises at the window, and things on the roof.

When it got to be midnight, she heard Harry come home. When he came into the bedroom, he smelled revoltingly of wine. She shut her eyes and pretended to be asleep. He clattered around for awhile, then climbed into the bed. "Are you actually asleep?" he finally asked.

"No," she admitted, opening her eyes and looking up at the ceiling. "So what was that all about? Did everyone console you about getting stuck with me?"

"No," he snapped. "They were worried about us, and especially about you, if you want to know the truth. Does that bother you?"

She sat up, hugging the covers to her chest. "Why couldn't you have taken me with you?"

Harry sat up, too. "You didn't ask me to!"

"How could I? You just said you were going, period. Obviously, you didn't want me to come. You want me for my baby. I understand that. But once in while I need a little attention for me, as myself. You didn't seem to care what I did."

"You want me to show you how much I care? Come here." He reached out for her, and she flinched.

"Oh, that's really romantic, Harry."

"You're my wife. You're having my baby. I thought we agreed it's not just yours. Great Merlin! Why does everyone want a blueprint of my emotions? When I'm in bed with you, I'm showing you how much I want you with me."

"All boys want, " Luna said stubbornly.

"Any girl at all? Any time at all? Is that what you think?"

"Well, don't they?"

"Hell, no!" he snapped. "I know I don't anyway! Look! Forget it, okay? Just forget it. Go to sleep." He turned away from her. She lay there for a long time, feeling hurt and withdrawn, until she finally fell asleep for real. When she woke up, faint moonlight was streaming into the bedroom, and she could see Harry quite clearly. He was lying on his back, one arm crooked above his head. He looked terribly young, and defenseless, and somehow sweet.

As she leaned over him, she felt a flutter deep inside, like too many fish in too small a fishbowl. She held her breath, and it happened again. It was life. She was carrying a life, a gift, a trust, and it was just as real as the boy lying there on the bed next to her was. Luna felt somehow responsible for them both. She whispered to Harry that she was sorry. She wasn't sure if he heard the words, but something got through to him, because he opened his eyes and put his arms around her. He was with her then, and she knew she was special to him, mostly for the baby, yes, but a little bit for herself.

In the morning he looked at her sheepishly. "Last night at dinner they asked me when the baby was due. They asked me if you'd gone to a healer. I felt stupid. I didn't even know."

"Oh, Harry! Is that what upset you? I'm sorry you felt stupid. I didn't mean for you to feel that way. I'm guessing it's due at the end of the year, but I don't know for sure. I just went to see if what I thought was true," she answered, snuggling up to him. "It was just a general thing. He didn't know much about babies. He gave me the names of some specialists."

"You need to go soon," Harry said, caressing her shoulder. "You have to make sure everything is all right. I want to go with you. I want to hear what they say." His hand wandered lower, and he stopped, looking at her in a puzzled way. "You…feel different than you did at first. I just noticed it."

"Just a little firmer, maybe a little bigger. That's normal." She hesitated a minute, then admitted, "I felt the baby move last night."

"Wow! No wonder you were so emotional! Can I feel it?" He swept his hand down over her belly, which seemed a bit firmer as well. It was no longer completely flat, but had a curve to it. Harry grinned, and Luna had to smile. She couldn't tell if it was a typical "Now the whole world will know I can get it up!" male attitude coming though, or if it was just his fixation with family resurfacing.

"No," she laughed. "I don't think it's big enough yet, but when it gets big enough, you won't be able to miss it. Every time he kicks me, I'm going to lean on you, so you get kicked, too."

Harry laughed at that. "Do you think it's a boy?"

"No idea. Does it matter?"

"No." Harry hesitated. "I wish, if it was a boy, I could name it after Dumbledore, but Albus is a really stupid name when you think about it."

"Brian," Luna said swiftly, propping herself up on one elbow.

"What?" He looked at her as if she were completely mad.

"Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore," Luna chanted. "Albus and Wulfric are a bit old fashioned, and I know you'd rather face a inferi attack than name any son of yours Percival, but Brian is a nice name."

"Hey, I like that!" Harry said excitedly. "God, you're smart!"

"Ravenclaw, remember?" Luna said, smiling. 'But what if it's a girl? What would you think of the name Rose?"

"I don't know," Harry said honestly. " Why call her Rose? Is that your mother's name or something? My mother's name was Lily, and her sister's name is Petunia. Were flower names popular at that time? "

"I was just thinking that it's considered a miracle to see a rose growing in December. It's supposed to take very powerful magic."

"I'll think about it," Harry said, getting out of bed. "Now, speaking of growing, besides making that appointment with the healer, you need to get some maternity clothes. You can go anywhere you want, magic or muggle and spend whatever you want. The sky's the limit! I'll go to Gringotts today and get you some money to get started. "

"Do you want to go shopping with me?" She asked, stretching, and stifling a yawn.

"God, no! I don't know anything about girls clothes normally, much less pregnant clothes. Don't you have any girlfriends? Why don't you ask Hermione, or Tonks, or someone to go with you? You'd have a lot more fun with either of them than you would with me."

"I think I'd rather go with Hermione. She has much better taste than Tonks," Luna said. "I mean, I love Tonks, but I don't have any idea what she'd pick out for me to try on."

"Good thinking," Harry said, trying to picture a baby outfit decorated with the Weird Sisters logo.

They went downstairs and had a simple breakfast together. Luna had just finished a note to Hermione, asking her if she had any time available that week to go shopping, and Harry had just left to go to the bank when Hedwig appeared. She had an envelope for Luna that had been forwarded from the Quibbler office, which Luna exchanged for the letter to Hermione. She took the note upstairs to the desk in the bedroom.

Dear Luna,

A pox on anyone who doesn't believe in heliopaths! I did see one once, on a trip I took to Colorado. My father thought a visit to a ranch would make a man of me. He didn't know what to make of a son who spent all day lying around drawing and scribbling. Now that he realizes I can make money in advertising, of course he's changed his mind.

What do you do all day? I remember you as being very ethereal. I can't picture you just eating, or sleeping, or doing the washing. Do you have a lot of friends to gossip and giggle and shop with like most girls? I have very few friends, but the few I have I've had forever. I'd like it to be that way with you.

Your friend, I hope,

Nicholas

Luna hesitated. She wondered if she should answer this letter. There seemed no point to it, but there didn't seem to be any harm in it, either. It was kind of nice to have a pen friend overseas. She liked the idea of having someone to talk with about the things she couldn't discuss with Harry. Sliding Nicholas' letter into her bottom drawer, she picked up her quill.

Dear Nicholas,

It's terrible that your father took awhile to see you for who you are. My father was always very encouraging, which is why I miss him so. I wish I could go to Colorado and see a heliopath! Tell me that it will happen someday. I need encouragement to believe that my whole life isn't all set out for me.

No, I do not have many friends. My best friend has been for quite some time, and I hope will always be, Harry Potter. I have a few female friends that are good friends, but not many. I've never gotten along that well with other women. I giggle sometimes, but not often, and I really don't care for gossip. It's hurt me too many times. I wouldn't mind doing the washing, but we have house elves that would be upset if I tried. Don't get the wrong idea, they are freed elves, and we pay them to work here. They are very sweet and devoted, and like to keep busy. I'm actually waiting for one of my girlfriends to answer me, about a shopping trip. I need clothes, and it's no fun to try them on alone. I need someone to tell me how I look. I never thought of myself as ethereal. What an odd word!

Luna

When she had finished the letter, she slid it into her pocket, walked downstairs and took the floo to St. Mungo's. She went to the reception desk to make an appointment with one of the obstetric healers the heart specialist had recommended to her. The receptionist looked at her a bit oddly when she gave her name.

"Tuesday at ten o' clock, Mrs. POTTER," the woman said, stressing the last word, "with Healer Greher."

"Thank you," Luna said, with all of the dignity she could muster.

The hospital gift shop had a small postal service, usually used for taking in get-well messages, and Luna went there to rent an owl to take her letter to Nicholas. While she was there, she also looked at some of the baby clothes they had for sale. She wouldn't buy anything there, as they were way overpriced, but it was fun to look at the tiny nightgowns and bonnets.

When she got home, Harry was there, and he was furious. "Where did you go? You didn't leave a note. You didn't say anything to Dobby or to Winky. What was I supposed to think?"

"I didn't think I'd be gone that long," Luna answered, surprised that he had been that worried. "I went to St. Mungo's to make my appointment. It's for Tuesday at ten. Do you still want to go with me?"

"Oh," said Harry, mollified. "Yeah, yeah, I do."

"I don't know if they will let you go in with me all of the time. I mean, there may be things they have to do to me that they won't let you watch, but you should be able to hear whatever the healer tells me to do." She said, hanging up her cloak.

"They might do things I don't want to watch," Harry said. "I heard Aunt Petunia talking to one of the neighbors once about some lady stuff, and it didn't sound like very much fun. I don't know if it's different for witches."

"We'll see," said Luna. "Now how about lunch?"

It was over lunch that he dropped the next bombshell. "When you go shopping, be sure to get a really nice set of dress robes to wear to the Benefit Ball for St. Mungo's. I'm on the committee, so I have to attend, and I want you to come with me."

"Oh, Harry," she wailed, setting down her sandwich. "Everyone in the world will know the truth by then. The receptionist at the hospital gave me a very strange look when I asked to see the healer. I don't mind seeing our friends, but a Benefit Ball will frighten me to death."

Harry sighed. "I've been stared at all my life, and I know it's not much fun, but Luna, we are what we are. There's nothing we can do about that. I promised to do this, and I'm going to keep my promise. I always do, if I can, and you know that better than anyone does."

He changed the subject. "I saw Ron in Diagon Alley. Hermione got your note, and she'd love to go shopping with you. Ron invited me to go to a Quidditch game next week. The Kestrals are playing the Cannons. While we're there, you girls can do your thing. Is that all right?"

Luna sighed. "It's fine."

The next day when Luna and Harry got up, they were very much at loose ends. What on earth to do all day? So far, all they knew to do with their time was eat, sleep, play bad chess and have great sex. Harry finally suggested going to the Quibbler office, to pick up the rest of Luna's things. It was no use leaving the flat empty when someone else might be able to use it. Luna seized on this idea gratefully.

There wasn't much to pick up. Luna had already taken all of the clothes she owned. Just a few boxes of things that has been saved from the rubble of the fire, and some things Mr. Lovegood had kept in his office when he ran the Quibbler remained in the closet. Luna started to drag a box out, and Harry shouted so loudly, she almost jumped out of her skin.

"What in the hell do you think you're doing, woman? If I ever see you lift anything larger than a toothbrush before this baby is born, you'll regret it! You're here to supervise, not to fetch and carry, so get out of my way. I'll do all of that. You just have to take care of the baby."

"Yes, sir!" she said meekly, as he waved his wand to shrink the boxes down to a more manageable size. Then they both laughed. They stopped into the office on the way down from the flat, and everyone from the editors to the cleaning staff came running to congratulate them and exclaim over Luna's ring.

Mr. Hunnicutt whistled when he saw it. "What a set of rocks! I don't suppose you'd let us take a picture of you two for the magazine? The Prophet hasn't let me hear the end of it, since they broke the story about the marriage. A piece with photographs, about how you're settling into married life would help a lot."

Luna and Harry looked guiltily at each other. They'd had so much else on their minds they had never thought about what their relationship would mean to the magazine, and they both owed a lot to the Quibbler. "Of course," they said, in stereo.

"I have a new photographer, that I think will be thrilled to death for a chance like this," Hunnicutt said, with a wink and a laugh. "I'll go get him."

Harry quickly tried to smooth down his hair, and Luna wished she'd worn nicer robes.

They both looked up, surprised, when a familiar voice said, "Hello there, Harry!" It was Colin Creevey.

"You're the new Quibbler photographer?" Harry asked stupidly.

"I owe it all to you," Colin said earnestly, fiddling with his camera. "I put a lot of photographs I took of you in my portfolio."

Before Harry could reply, Luna said swiftly, "I'm happy for you, Colin. You take lovely pictures, and I know you'll do a good job for us now. I'd like to have copies of them if you don't mind. Harry and I didn't get any wedding pictures taken when we went to the muggle registry office. I'd love to have a photo of us together taken by you."

Colin beamed, and told Luna and Harry to stand by a wall nearby that was a clean white, and blank. They stood next to each other, and Colin frowned. "You don't look like newlyweds. You look like you're having mug shots taken. Put your arms around her Harry, and try to look less nervous and more happy."

Luna let Colin guide her in front of Harry, and felt Harry's arms go around her, and she wrapped hers around his. Her head was against his chest, and he felt warm and solid in back of her. She felt Harry's cheek touch her hair, and smiled when Colin told her to. Colin snapped the picture, and then tried a few other poses before he was satisfied.

"Now," said Hunnicutt, "give me some details. "They didn't have much of that in the Prophet. Are you going to keep living in London? Are you going to have a regular job, or are you going to continue with your charity work? How long have you two actually known each other? Did you plan the wedding for long?"

"I'm hoping to keep on working to improve magic/muggle relations," Harry said slowly, but I'm not going to be involved in the Ministry in any official capacity. I'm still going to be involved with charity work. We'll both be at the Benefit this summer for St. Mungo's. Luna and I met at Hogwarts, when she was a fourth year and I was a fifth. We had our first date my sixth year, so we've known each other quite awhile. We decided rather suddenly to marry. It just seemed like it felt right, so we did it."

"Happy, Luna?" Hunnicutt asked, shooting her a sharp look.

"Of course," she said automatically. "Harry has always been very special. Everyone in the Wizarding world knows that. He has always been special to me as well, very considerate, loyal and kind. He's a good friend, a good man, and I think he's going to be a wonderful husband and father."

"Thinking of a family already?" Hunnicutt shot her an even sharper look, and she looked up helplessly at Harry.

"Of course. It was always on my mind anyway," Harry said without hesitation. "A family is all I've ever wanted, ever since I lost my own, and I'm sure Luna feels the same way. We've both suffered so much loss and spent so much time alone. After the war, I wanted one more than ever. I know Luna also feels it's the natural thing to want to do. " He looked at her, and she smiled up at him, wanting to clap her hands, and cheer. He had answered brilliantly and with no hesitation. That's your husband talking, she thought, and it was a proud thought.

The appointment with the healer was uneventful. The healer was a short, chubby, cheerful little man, who seemed absolutely delighted to have a new patient, and not even because of Harry's celebrity. He just seemed to love his work. He didn't even flinch when he wrote down Luna and Harry's names in his records. He just moved on to their address, mother's date of birth, etc. He had a chart shaped like a wheel, and by putting in the date Luna's last period started, March 3rd, he got a due date of December 8th.

"That will be your Christmas present," Luna said, and Harry smiled.

"Could be close," said the healer. "First babies are usually a little late." He then whisked Luna off to be weighed, give a urine specimen and have some blood drawn.

Harry was confused by these muggle-like procedures, especially when the healer said, "I wish you had come to me sooner."

"Why?" asked Harry, worried. "Is something wrong that we should have started to work on?"

"I just like to get involved as soon as I can," Healer Greher said. "I will give her a list of things to eat every day, and some vitamins to take. She doesn't need to lose weight. She was too thin to start with, if you ask me. The baby is a little bigger than I would have expected, considering when the date of her last menstrual period was, so I'm going to keep an eye on her blood sugar. It's not very high, but it's in the upper range. Witch obstetrics is not that different from muggle obstetrics, so don't expect a lot of potions and spells. This is something that has to be done naturally. It doesn't do to subject a growing fetus to too much magic.

"You can do what you normally do, but don't go overboard with anything. I wouldn't recommend any apparation in the last trimester, so keep that in mind if you're planning any trips. The pressure isn't good for the baby."

Harry could understand that. He had never gotten used to the feeling of apparation, even thought he had become quite expert at it. "I will be having a few speaking engagements over the next couple of months," Harry said firmly, "but I'm not going to make any plans to be anywhere else but home in December."

They were supposed to meet at the Weasleys the next day. Harry and Ron were leaving for the Quidditch game from there, and Hermione was going to be there to take Luna for the shopping trip. Luna was actually looking forward to that. Robes were well and good, but she didn't have too many of them, and it would be the middle of summer soon. The robes she had were too hot for the summer weather. Her muggle dresses were getting too tight in the bust, and her muggle jeans wouldn't even zip anymore. She had struggled to get into the shirt and skirt she was wearing that day.

When Harry and Luna arrived, Ron was sitting at the table, reading the paper, and wearing a Cannons shirt that clashed horribly with his hair. Hermione and Molly were drinking coffee, and offered some to Harry and Luna. While they were drinking it, Ginny came in from a walk to the village, in a rage about the "insinuations" the Fawcett girls were making about Harry and Luna. Molly gave them a warning look, which told them what to do, even if they hadn't already known. Luna kept her rounding belly under the table, and they let Ginny keep her rage, and her innocence.

After Hermione and Luna left the cottage, Luna sighed. "She's going to find out the truth soon. I wonder how she's going to take it."

"Does it matter?" asked Hermione, briskly. "What matters is how you and Harry feel. I know he's very excited about the baby. I don't know what he said to the Lupins and to Molly and Arthur last week, but Ron says his parents have calmed down a lot about things."

"Harry really wants this baby," Luna said, as they stopped to look in the window of a muggle shop. "All he's ever wanted is a family of his own. He seems to be taking this as a personal sign from fate that his life is finally going to be more normal. I had to keep this baby, I mean, I wanted to, once I knew. I think it would have been really wrong not to have it, but it's complicated, between Harry and me."

"Luna, I have to admit, I just don't understand. I mean, did this really all just happen so suddenly because Harry wanted a family that badly? I know you've known each other for a long time, and you've always gotten along well, but I had no idea it was love. He never said a word, to me or to Ron, and usually he tells us almost everything that's going on in his life." Hermione looked at her questioningly. "Ron and I have been in love, for years, Luna, and we have never done anything like that without using something, if you know what I mean. Didn't you even discuss it, before hand, when you were ready to take your relationship to that level? "

Luna looked at her sadly. "Hermione, we're not like you and Ronald. It's not the same at all. Harry and I were never that close. We certainly weren't close enough to discuss sex. We just felt close when my father died, and all of this sort of happened. I know he does care about me, and he did want me to keep this baby, but I don't think he loves me, not the way Ronald loves you."

"Oh, Luna! How horrible for you! Is this all just temporary then, until you have the baby?"

Luna stared at Hermione. "Of course not! At least I don't think so. We made promises to each other, Hermione. You heard us. Harry doesn't break a promise, and I do love him Hermione. I love him for who he is, and for who I am when I'm with him. It's hard, loving him, knowing how mixed up he is about everything, but I do love him, with all of my heart and I'm going to try to be a good wife to him, and I want to be a good mother."

Hermione sighed. "First you need clothes. Harry gave me the moneybag. You've got enough in here to empty every maternity store in Britain, wizarding or muggle, so let's get started. Muggle clothes for everyday, I think, and robes for special occasions. Something not too heavy or elaborate that will overwhelm you. "

"He gave you the money? Didn't he trust me?" Luna asked with a small voice.

"To freely spend his money and get everything you needed? No, he did not trust you to do that. Cheer up, Luna, and let's get to it."

They came back to that Grimmauld Place with a wardrobe that any muggle OR witch would envy. Luna had muggle shirts, dresses, shorts, and some jeans with snaps that would adjust as she got bigger. Those fascinated her. "These get huge," she said, wide-eyed.

"No offense, Luna, but YOU are probably going to get huge," said Hermione. "You're so thin normally, that every bulge shows. You can tell already, if you look for it. No one would notice otherwise, but it's definitely there."

"My old things were definitely starting to get uncomfortable," Luna admitted, as she pushed her old clothes into the back of the closet, so she could fit in some of her new dresses.

They had bought maternity knickers, and nursing bras and nightgowns. They had gotten several lightweight sets of robes, including a beautiful deep rosy pink set for the Benefit ball. Luna had wanted to get a green set, in case Harry wanted to wear his dark green dress robes, but Hermione vetoed them.

"But Harry has always had green dress robes, " Luna argued. "He looks good in green, because it brings out his eyes."

"But you are a blonde," Hermone said, "and that particular shade of green doesn't go with your shade of hair. It will make your skin look as green as an old cheese. You need something that won't make you look washed out. I know for a fact that Harry's newest dress robes are black. He bought them when he and Ron had to give their reports to the Ministry after the war. He can wear those. "

They were putting the last of the clothes away, when Luna suddenly sighed. "I feel like a fraud. It's highway robbery, that's what all this is."

"Harry can afford it," said Hermione. "Now put on one of those new shirts, and a pair of those jeans, so you look nice when he comes home." She hesitated. "Luna, I was thinking. Sometimes girls really feel more like doing …it…when it's the time in their cycle this is most likely to happen. Do you think that had anything to do with it?"

Luna suspected that she should have taken this statement as an insult, but she didn't. This was almost comforting. This was the old Hermione, the bright-eyed, logical researcher, who had to find a reason in a book for everything. She would never understand why Luna had done what she had done, because it had nothing to do with logic or hormones. It had been an act of faith, and of fate.

"I never thought about that," Luna admitted, "but it wasn't just the way he made me feel when we touched, or kissed. He's a great kisser, but that wasn't what I was really thinking of at the time, at least the first time. I was too scared. I didn't know what to expect physically. I was thinking about how comforting it was to have him there with me, how sweet and thoughtful he was being."

Hermione smiled. "You love him, all right. I'm glad."

Dobby appeared in the doorway. "Miss Luna had an owl. The Quibbler office sent over a letter from America. It is marked 'personal'. Does Miss want her letter now?" He extended an envelope, which Luna took.

"I didn't know you had friends in America," Hermione commented.

"It's Quibbler business," Luna said, stuffing the envelope into her pocket. She had a feeling that Hermione would be startled by the idea of her having a pen friend like Nicholas, but it was comforting to know that she still had areas of her life that were hers alone, that she didn't have to share with Harry. What this sharing might be doing to Nicholas never occurred to her. After Hermione left, Luna looked at the letter.

Dear Luna,

Harry Potter is your best friend? I'm impressed. We heard all about him, of course. I saw a picture in one of our papers not long after he defeated that Dark Wizard you had running amok in Europe. I was surprised. I expected someone older, or at least more of a warrior type. Harry Potter looked like a midget with glasses, although I seem to remember my uncle telling me he was a rather good Quidditch player. Quidditch is something I don't know much about. We play Quodpot here.

You have house elves? Queer things, aren't they? My uncle has some at his place in Glasgow. They do tend to get attached, to people, if not places. Good for you for paying them!

I hope you had fun on your shopping trip. I know that women can really get into that stuff. If you got something beautiful, describe it for me.

Your friend,

Nicholas

Luna wrote back with a several paragraphs on how Quidditch was played, and tried to describe her new rose robes, but she had to start the letter over when she inadvertently described the "Beautiful Beginnings" shop and clerk too clearly to be comfortable. There was plenty of time to tell Nicholas about the baby later. He might not want to write to a married woman, and his letters were a distraction and fun. She tried to describe Harry, too, to be fair. She explained about how loyal he was, and how brave, and about how much hardship he had suffered.

She had just gotten this letter off, when Harry himself came into the house. "Wow! You look great, but you definitely look like a mum-to-be."

She went to him and kissed him. "Thank you for everything. I've never had so many lovely things at one time before. Hermione and I had a wonderful time."

"Don't mention it," he said looking a bit embarrassed. "Ron and I did, too. The Cannons won, but it was really an exciting game. The Kestrals were up eighty points when the Cannons seeker got the snitch. Ron spent the whole time drinking butterbeer and yelling at their keeper. I don't know what shape he'll be in for dinner tonight. He and Hermione were supposed to go out."

"What do you want for dinner? I didn't tell Dobby or Winky what time to start dinner, because I didn't know when you'd be back."

"How about if we go out to dinner?" Harry asked casually. 'You look so nice, you deserve to be shown off."

"Are you ready for people to see the obvious?" Luna asked, biting her lip.

"I am if you are, and if you're not, remember, I'll be right behind you to brace you up."

They went to the closest wizarding place, the Leaky Cauldron. They did get quite a few curious looks as they sat down, ordered, and ate, but no one came up and said anything straight to their faces. Harry went out of his way to be encouraging, holding her hand on the table while they were waiting for their meal, and for the check. He took her hand to help her up when it was time to leave, and they walked out with their arms around each other. As they were leaving, they could have sworn they heard the click of a camera, but they didn't look back.

They had been caught on film, though. The article in the Quibbler about their marriage just beat the Witch Weekly scoop by two days. The Quibbler article was cute, and Colin's pictures had turned out beautifully. The one of Luna leaning against Harry, where they had their arms around each other, made the cover, and true to his word, Colin had sent them a set of prints, along with a copy of the magazine. Harry and Luna both examined it carefully, and Harry sent Dobby out to get frames for some the larger prints. He hung the largest one in the drawing room, and put one in their bedroom on the wardrobe. Luna was pleased to see him slip a small one into his wallet, and she put a similar one in her handbag. They had a nice afternoon, cuddling on the sofa, drinking lemonade, discussing the magazine article and the Quibbler in general. Harry encouraged Luna to reminisce about some of the places she had gone with her father looking for stories.

That pleasant afternoon almost made up for Harry's reaction to the Witch weekly article, which came out soon after. There was a picture of Harry walking out of the restaurant with his arm around Luna, and it had been shot at an angle, so it was quite clear Luna was wearing a maternity blouse. The caption said:

London, July 13- Newlyweds Harry and Luna Lovegood Potter cuddle their way out of a romantic dinner at the Leaky Cauldron. Besides her new husband and her new one-and-a-half carat wedding band, Mrs. Potter seemed to be showing off a new look, which prompted speculation about an equally new addition to the family.

"Those people are idiots," Harry said furiously, throwing the magazine on the floor. "I knew people were going to talk, but I don't like the idea of them sneaking around snapping photographs behind our backs. It's a complete invasion of privacy."

"Weren't you the one who said not to let things get to us?" Luna asked, dropping down into his lap. "Besides, it's the truth. Now that I think about it, I wish I hadn't worn that shirt, but it's so hard to have something new and not wear it, and my old things were getting just tight enough to be uncomfortable."

Harry sighed, and put his arm around her. "I didn't want you to be uncomfortable, and I told you that you looked good like that. You're right. I did say not to get hung up on these things, and if I expect it from you, I have no right to demand less of myself."

In the same batch of mail, they had gotten an invitation from Mrs. Longbottom for dinner. It was kind of humorous in it's own way. When Harry had finished reading it, he showed it to Luna.

Dear Harry:

Unless I hear to the contrary, we shall expect you and your young lady for dinner on Friday evening. Perhaps she (you will forgive me if I cannot at the moment recall her name) would like to see the greenhouses. Neville has had wonderful success with some new specimens this year.

Sincerely,

Louisa Fian Longbottom

"I would love to see the greenhouses, and Neville, too," Luna said uncertainly, "but Mrs. Longbottom makes me a bit nervous. It's the way she looks, all velvet dresses, lilac perfume, and elegant manners."

"She's all right when you get to know her," Harry assured Luna.

It was getting easier for them to be at ease with each other. They may have not had much in common when they started, but living together is one of the most in-common things people can do, and they were finding it easier to build each other up instead of tearing each other down. They were actually talking for hours a day now about things that they had never told anyone else before, things about their pasts, their feelings, their hopes and fears.

They actually had fun with Neville and his grandmother, who seemed quite relieved to see them so comfortable with each other. Neville was still thinking of opening his own plant business, and Harry not only continued to encourage him enthusiastically, he agreed to help with the financing.

"You would be my business partner?" Neville asked, awed.

"I'd be honored. I know you'll be great at a plant business, Neville. I've always told you that," Harry said sincerely. He turned to Luna. "What do you think, sweetheart?"

Luna hugged him around the neck. "Oh, Harry, I think it's a wonderful idea!" After that night, Mrs. Longbottom went out of her way to assure her friends that the Potters were a most affectionate couple, which helped the gossip about them die down a bit.

The party gave also Luna something to write to Nicholas about. She had gotten another letter from him.

Dear Luna,

Harry Potter is lucky to have a friend like you. Ten years in a cupboard being bossed around by some magic-hating muggles, and another ten years being the target of evil! I'm surprised he didn't go completely crazy.

Thanks for the run-down on Quidditch rules. I haven't been to a game since I was quite small and I had forgotten a lot. When I come back to Britain next year, you'll have to take me to a Quidditch game. Then maybe I'll get into it more. I can't really understand it all from your description. How does one ever manage to remember how all of those fouls are made?

Your dark pink robe with all of the pearls on it sounds gorgeous. I wish I could see you in it. Actually, I just wish I could see you. There's a undertone of wistfulness in your letters which I'm trying to fathom. An air of secrecy about details, as if you're not completely real, just some sort of pixie dream I had. I think about it a lot…

Yours,

Nicholas

She described Neville, and his grandmother, and their mansion as well as she could, and also wrote about the greenhouse, and all of the beautiful plants she had seen. She talked about how Harry and Neville had teased each other, remembering their days in Professor Sprout's greenhouse at Hogwarts. If she mentioned Harry in her letters, she felt she was not being completely dishonest.

The letters were, in truth, getting harder and harder to write. As she and Harry developed more of a bond, she didn't need someone like Nicholas to talk to anymore. She was no longer lonely when she was with Harry. But even though the need to discuss things with someone like Nicholas was beginning to fade, she didn't know how to end it, and deep down wasn't sure she wanted to. Harry had gotten a letter, which had made her very sad. It was from the Ministry, announcing that they were formally rejecting his application for auror training, because they were not accepting Aurors with children.

"Oh, Harry, I feel terrible about this!" she wailed when she saw it, hugging him around the neck crying.

He was astounded by her reaction, and patted her gently on the back. "Calm down! It doesn't matter. It isn't good for the baby when you get yourself so upset."

"I just feel like I've ruined your whole life. You've wanted to be an Auror forever, even before they were respectable."

He just shrugged. "Don't feel terrible. It can't be helped. Anyway, I don't think I wanted to work for the Ministry anyway. The baby just made up my mind for me."

Harry was used to letting fate decide his course of action. Luna was finding it harder. That was one of the reasons it was still flattering to have a friend in another country. Her time writing to Nicholas was time that was still her own, and under her complete control. She got a letter from him in return, though, that made her wonder what Nicholas really was thinking.

Dear Luna,

If you hadn't of told me about your shopping trip, I would think you had no girlfriends at all, only a crowd of men paying attention to you. First Potter, now this Longbottom. He sounds like a nice guy, but not at all the sort of man I would have thought you'd fancy. Maybe I'm just being silly.

I'm glad to hear you like flowers, though. I love gardening. All that digging in the earth, handling living things, helping them look the best you can, is a thrill. We have a very nice garden here, even if it's not too big. I can't wait to get back to Britain, get a big house of my own, and do the gardening.

Soon…I hope soon…

Nicholas

Ron and Hermione wanted to have a surprise party for Harry's birthday, at the Burrow, and Luna agreed to help them plan it. She even brought Dobby and Winky over to help Molly do the cooking and cleaning on the morning before the big day, while Harry was at a meeting of the St. Mungo's benefit committee. The benefit ball was only a few weeks away. Hermione and Ron were helping by sorting strawberries for Molly's famous homemade strawberry ice cream when Luna arrived. Molly was icing the birthday cake. Ginny was watching from the doorway.

"Hello, Luna, dear," she said. "Why don't you go help Ron and Hermione? Strawberries have to be sorted by hand. You can't tell if they're ripe by magic, and I want to do this cake myself. I want everything to be perfect for Harry's special day. He hasn't had too many nice birthdays, heaven knows."

Hermione looked up. "How did you get away today without him knowing anything?"

"They had a committee meeting for the St. Mungo's ball," Luna said. "It looks like it's going to be a great success."

"They're lucky to have Harry on the committee. I hear he's doing a wonderful job promoting it. We're definitely all going," Mrs. Weasley said. "Arthur got tickets from work. I think I'll wear that midnight blue hat with the jewels on it that Fred and George gave me a few years back, and my dark blue dress robes. Ginny still hasn't gotten anything, but we have time."

"I am NOT going to that stupid ball," Ginny snapped, flushing, and stalked out of the house.

Molly and Hermione looked gobsmacked, but Luna knew what the matter was. She followed Ginny outside, to where she was sitting on a bench by the pond.

"Just for your information, I'm going to keep a low profile at the ball, and I'm certainly not going to be sitting anywhere near you, so you can stop worrying. I will do my best not to disgrace you."

Luna had really hit the nail on the head when she had assumed Ginny was remembering the rude comments the Fawcett girls had made, among other things and was feeling personally humiliated, even if she had no logical reason to be.

"I can't help it," Ginny cried, kicking a peony bush, just missing a garden gnome who was lurking there listening in on their conversation. "I can't help the way I feel!"

"Neither can I, and right now I hate you," Luna answered honestly.

"I hate you, and I especially hate Harry Potter!" Ginny shrieked. "He lied to me. He told me that he had things to do on his own, not that he had things to do with you! He should have come back to me after the war. It should have been me, wearing that white dress, being written up for the papers. It should have been me giving his children life."

"Ginny, if Harry had ever asked you to marry him, he would never have slept with me. I know for a fact he never discussed marriage with you! We were friends once, you and I, remember? I thought we could be again, now that everything is settled, but that's going to be up to you." Luna turned on her heel and headed back into the house. The baby lurched in protest, and Luna put her hand on her belly in a consoling way. "Never mind, my angel," she whispered. "Daddy loves you. He loves you very much, and so do I."

Harry was delighted with the party, and to Luna's relief, Ginny held her tongue. She was so silent, though, that Harry noticed it. After they were home that night, and getting into bed, he commented on it. "What's going on with her? She still angry at me?"

"She's angry with both of us. She and I had a fight this afternoon. She thinks you led her on."

"If I did, I didn't mean to," he said, propping himself up on one elbow, as he watched Luna get ready for bed. " I don't know why I even went out with her. I knew it was going to be trouble. I spent every minute worrying about how Ron would take it. He always meant more to me than she did. She was going out with Dean, and it just drove me crazy every time I saw them kissing. I couldn't tell her anything important, but I was used to her being there, and just hanging around in the background. More than I liked Ginny, I think I liked the idea that there was someone who would always be there waiting for me."

"I think I was waiting for you," Luna said simply, climbing into the bed beside him, and he looked pleased, taking her in his arms for a very affectionate kiss, and then quite a bit more.

The benefit ball was a great success, and Luna was very proud of Harry for all of the work he had done on it. The Weasleys had all come, and things had not been too awkward, but it was clear to Luna that things had changed between all of them. Harry was still special to them, but he was no longer a surrogate son. Trying to stay as close as they had been in the past was obviously not going to work. In fact, Luna began to realize the less they were involved in each other's lives, the better off she and Harry would be. It was sad realization.

Summer was over and autumn was winding down slowly. She and Harry spent more time alone, buying things for the house, fixing up a room for the baby, choosing baby furniture, and going to more frequent healer visits. The baby moved often now, and Harry never got tired of pressing gently on Luna's belly, and feeling the baby kick him back.

Harry got a surprise message from his cousin, Dudley the second week in October, asking him to please come right away, if he ever wanted to see his Aunt Petunia again. She'd had a stroke, and wasn't expected to live. She was asking to see him. Harry was horrified by this message. "I don't want to go, he said, looking like a frightened child. "I thought I was done with them, with that place. I have no more obligations to them."

"Your aunt kept you alive," Luna said slowly. "She may have done so without much enthusiasm, but she did take you in. She kept your uncle from throwing you out before you could defend yourself. If you do not go, I think you will regret it. Make peace with your mother's family, Harry, before we have one of our own. Forgiveness costs nothing, but it is worth so much."

"Come with me," he begged her, and she said that she would. Harry then decided, since they would not be home for awhile to send the elves to help Neville, who was cleaning up his new premises in preparation for opening his shop.

When they got to Privet Drive, Harry shuddered. "It looks exactly the same," he said. Luna saw only a typical muggle house in a typical muggle neighborhood. Dudley opened the door, and Harry saw nothing of his aunt in him. He was Uncle Vernon all over again, with a thick neck and narrow eyes.

Dudley stood still for a moment, eyeing them both, then stepped aside. "Come in. She will be glad to see you. She's been asking for you day and night."

"Is it really that bad?" Harry asked quietly, as they stepped into the hall. He averted his eyes so he didn't have to look at the door that led to the little cupboard under the stairs.

Dudley ran a hand through his thinning blonde hair. "We brought her home to die. I gave the nurse the night off. I knew she would want to see you alone." He looked at Luna curiously; his eyes lingering on her protruding maternity blouse.

"My wife goes where I go," Harry said firmly.

"You're married? I haven't even got a girlfriend," Dudley said bitterly. "After Dad died, I was all she had left and she never let me forget it. I had to go to work at Grunnings because HE had. I had to stay here. No one was good enough for me, as far as she was concerned. Every time I brought girls home, she made them miserable. I could never get free of her. At least you did."

They stood around awkwardly for a moment, then Dudley sighed. "What the hell…it is good of you to at least give her a peaceful death. Once you turned seventeen and left the house she lived in torment. She was frightened all of the time."

Harry went into Petunia's room slowly. Luna and Dudley stood in the doorway. When Petunia opened her eyes, she saw him standing in the shadow.

"James, no, please don't. Wait until things are more settled. I don't want to lose my sister. She's all I've got, the only one who understands me. I don't understand you. Why can't you wait until it's safer? James, please! I just have this feeling…"

She closed her eyes and Harry stepped into the room. "Aunt Petunia, it's me. It's Harry."

"Harry?" She opened her eyes again, and plucked at the covers with bony fingers. "Harry? Is it safe for you to be here?"

"Yes, Aunt Petunia." He sat beside her bed, and looked at her thin, gray face and lifeless, limp hair. "The war is over, Aunt Petunia. It's over."

"He will come back," she muttered. "Not dead. Can come back at any moment. I have to keep the boy, my sister's only child, but I'm so afraid. He could come at any time. Not dead, no, not."

"He IS dead, Aunt Petunia," Harry said softly. "You don't have to be afraid anymore. He's really dead, and I'm not a little boy anymore. I can take care of myself. I have a wife, and we're going to have a baby, and every thing is going to be all right."

"No," Petunia said, staring out at nothing. "I have this terrible feeling…"

She closed her eyes again, and did not speak. Harry watched her blanket rise and fall with her shallow breathing. He glanced up at Dudley. "I'll sit with her for awhile. Could you please take Luna somewhere so she can rest?"

Dudley shrugged and he and Luna went downstairs. He made her a cup of tea, and they sat in the kitchen.

"She does that all the time," he said to Luna. "She talks to Lily and James as if they are there, and tells them they are in danger. It's totally weird. I never thought she cared." He paused. "So when is your baby due?"

"December," Luna answered, sipping the milky tea.

"You're a witch," Dudley said flatly. "It was not a question.

"Yes."

"Cool stuff, some of that magic was…listen, if you're really tired, just let me know."

"Well, I am a little. I run out of energy pretty early sometimes, nowadays."

He looked around the kitchen, which was still as surgically clean as always. "Perhaps you should go stay in Harry's old room until morning."

Luna followed him down the hall, shooting a curious glance at the cupboard under the stairs. He showed her up to the smallest bedroom. She sat on Harry's narrow childhood bed, and looked around the room, trying to imagine it with bars on the windows. Had Petunia been the way she had as a way of distancing herself from Harry, whom she believed to be a danger, or in danger? Luna realized they probably would never know. She climbed onto the bed, and fell asleep.

She was wakened in the night by a loud keening noise, and wondered for a moment where she was. Then Harry appeared. "Petunia is dead," he said flatly. "Dudley is taking it badly. She did love him, after all. I think we should stay and help him with the funeral."

So they did. The neighbors all came, and looked at Luna, surprised to see her, and to see Harry and Dudley working together. When it was all over, Luna and Harry were glad to get back to Grimmauld Place. The day after the funeral, Luna woke up with a backache. Harry noticed her painful movements, but neither of them worried much. The healer had told them that carrying around the extra weight on her small frame would probably do that.

"I'm going to go see how Neville is doing," Harry told her. "I'll come back in a little while to see how you are."

"I'll be fine," Luna said, kissing him goodbye. She was sitting with her feet up, when Dobby announced Mr. Harold Hunnicutt. Before she could even say hello, he started to speak.

"An owl came with a letter for you," he said sternly. "When no one was here, he returned it to the Quibbler office." He extended an envelope, and Luna took it.

"Aren't you going to read it?" He asked pointedly.

"Not right now, if you don't mind."

He sat across from her, looking as grim as possible, for him. "I can probably tell you what it says. I had a most disturbing talk on the floo with Mr. Mayer. His nephew is going to start working with him in January, and he told Rory not to make any plans for him for outside of working hours, because he hoped to be spending all of his time with you. It sounded as if it has all been arranged between the two of you. Rory Mayer was most confused."

Luna blushed. "I had no idea…nothing has been arranged." She opened the letter.

My dearest Luna, (That was a switch…up to now it has always been 'dear'!)

I have arranged to start my new job a bit earlier than my uncle originally planned. This letter writing is fine, but I will tell you more about that when I see you. I will also tell you a lot of other things that can't be put into writing. I will be staying with my uncle until we can find a new home, if you know what I mean. If you do, write back immediately. Time is of the essence!

All of my love, forever,

Nicholas

"May I see the letter?" Mr. Hunnicutt asked.

Luna reluctantly handed it over. "He was just a pen-friend, someone to talk to about animals and things."

Mr. Hunnicutt scanned the letter, and threw it back to her. "Luna! How could you? The boy is in love with you, or at least he thinks he is! I can't believe you did this!"

"But it hasn't been like that until now," she argued. "Besides, I thought you knew he was writing to me. What did you think of these letters coming to the office?"

"I assumed you had told him you were married, and that you really were just pen-friends, as you put it. This puts a different light on everything!" He paused. "To be honest, I was glad you were keeping some outside contacts, in case you ever needed them."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He sighed. "Luna, I know you love Harry Potter, and I knew he's determined to do right by his child, but surely you don't think he's going to feel obligated to be married to you forever?"

Luna stared at him. "Sometimes you shock me. You shock me very much." She suddenly remembered what Hermione had said about the situation being temporary and wondered if everyone thought this.

Hunnicutt sighed. "I just can't help thinking that things would be very different if your father had lived."

Luna had to admit this. "It certainly would be. I can't believe, though, that you think it's all right to deceive Harry, but not all right to deceive Nicholas."

"I don't like deceit in any form, and I want you to do something about it now. You must write to Nicholas at once. I'll try to explain all this to Rory somehow." He left and Luna, her back hurting worse than ever, went upstairs to the desk, and wrote five letters, each one more complicated than the last. She tore each letter up, one at a time, and burned them. She then cried for an hour, then sat down to write again.

Dear Nicholas,

I have been selfish and cruel. There's no way of explaining it, except to tell you that I really did like you, and I couldn't bear to end our correspondence, as I must now do that the whole terrible business has caught up with me. The truth is, I am a married woman, and I have been for quite some time.

I can't expect you to forgive me. I know you will probably despise me, but I still want to thank you for being my friend.

Most sincerely and regretfully,

Luna Potter

She sent the letter, and sat down to cry some more. When Harry came home, she told him she was crying because her back hurt so badly, and he insisted on taking her to the hospital. They no sooner got there than she had the hemorrhage.


	3. Chapter 3

Mr. and Mrs. Potter

The End

Harry was shocked and terrified. He had not seen that much blood since he used "Sectumsempra" on Draco Malfoy back in his sixth year at school, without knowing what it meant. He had been positive that Draco was going to die then, and he was equally positive Luna was going to die now. He had no idea of what this bleeding meant, either. He sank down at her side, screaming her name, as the hospital staff began to shout and run around them.

"Luna, Luna, don't die, please don't die, Luna, please!"

She blinked. She was feeling very faint, and lying on the hard floor was not helping her backache one bit.

"I don't know if I'm dying, Harry. I don't want to. I don't want to leave you." She concentrated on his face, which was the one thing that seemed as real and understandable and solid to her as the rough stone floor beneath her.

Healer Greher appeared so quickly, that it was as if the nurses at the desk had used a summoning charm on him. His robes were hanging crookedly on his short frame. He quickly pulled out a wand, and crouching down, scanned Luna with a golden light.

"Do something, will you? Save my wife! What's wrong with her?" Harry begged, in an anguished voice, as he continued to clutch Luna's hand.

Luna felt very weak, and could no longer speak, but she was very puzzled. Was this really what it felt like to die? And Harry hadn't said a word about the baby. That was odd, very odd. He was fond of her, she knew, but the baby still meant everything to him.

"It looks like a premature separation of the placenta," the healer answered. "We've got to get the baby out. Now!" He waved his wand again, causing Luna to rise up and float down the hall. Harry came along with her, clinging to her side, trying to hold onto her hand. His face was white as chalk, and his eyes and hair were wild.

"Luna, please be all right. Please be all right. I love you. I love you so much. Please don't die, for God's sake, Luna, don't die."

Luna, startled, looked into his eyes again, and as always, believed him. Harry meant it. Harry Potter loved her. He had never said it to her before, and she knew he had never said it to anyone else, but he was saying it to her now, and he meant it. It was worth the pain to hear that, she thought, as she floated into a brilliantly lit room. The light was so bright, it gave everything a strange glow.

Harry stood at her head, and never looked down past her face. He just held her hands, and looked into her eyes, and kept telling her to hold on, to be strong, and to live. Luna was quite numb, but she knew when the healer took the baby, and she heard her first cry. It was oddly hollow. At the sound, Harry finally looked away from Luna.

"It's a girl. She's having some breathing problems, but we'll get right on it," the healer said. "She seems like she's holding her own for the moment." Luna saw the baby then, a very small baby, with dark fuzzy hair, an extremely red face, and unbelievably skinny arms and legs.

Luna fought to speak then, with all the strength left in her body. She tried to scream, and the scream was only a whisper, but Harry heard her say, "Her name is Rose."

He smiled at her. "She's gorgeous, Luna. She's so damned small, but she's gorgeous, even with my knobby knees."

Luna couldn't say anything else, and she wanted to smile back at Harry's joke, but instead she closed her eyes slowly, and didn't open them again when Harry called her name.

He was just about to panic, when the healer said, "Mr. Potter, you're going to have to leave. You're going to have to wait in the hall. We have some things to do with your wife, and we have to get the baby into specialized care." He turned to the nurse. "Get some dittany. If we work fast, Mrs. Potter shouldn't even have a noticeable scar from the surgery."

"I don't care about whether or not she has a scar," Harry exploded. "Oh, my God! You think I of all people would care about that? Just keep her alive, damn it!"

"Mr. Potter, you're not helping," said a nurse sharply. "Now go sit down!"

The healer and the nurse pushed Harry firmly out the door. It shut behind him, and he found himself sitting on a hard, straight-backed chair against the wall. Harry looked up at the ceiling, and saw orange and black streamers draped around the lights. He stared at them stupidly. They were Halloween decorations, he realized finally. It was Halloween, the anniversary of his parent's deaths. This was a bad omen to Harry, and more than he could take. He put his head in his hands and shuddered.

He sat in the hallway for what seemed like hours. People ran back and forth past him, but no one would stop and tell him anything, except to be patient. Harry finally leaned his head back against the wall, and dozed off.

He began to dream about the veil at the Ministry of Magic. He walked down the stone steps toward the veil, and heard voices, but they were, as always, just inaudible whispers. He then heard laughter. He walked tentatively up to the veil, which swayed in the breeze, and for a moment, he could see through a gap in it. On the other side, he saw a beautiful sunlit garden. His mother and father were sitting at a small, round table having tea, and Luna was sitting with them. They were laughing and gesturing happily. Luna was holding a small bundle wrapped in a pink blanket, showing it off.

"No," Harry cried. He tried shouting at them. They didn't look up and they didn't seem to hear him. He could see them, but they could not see him. He had lost Luna, and the baby, just like he had lost his parents. They had all gone on without him, and he was stuck in a dark, gray, dank room alone, as he watched them carry on with their tea party.

Harry woke with a start, banging his head on the wall. His neck hurt from being propped up at such an odd angle. He was breathing hard and his heart was pounding. It felt like it was breaking, leaving emptiness inside him.

When the healer finally came to tell him that they hadn't been able to save the baby, he waited for them to say, "and we're sorry about your wife," but they did not.

"Luna?" Harry asked faintly.

The healer looked at him, and smiled, a tired smile. "Your wife is going to be just fine. She's very strong, but this took a lot out of her. She'll have to get her strength back, but she will be able to have more children. She needs to stay here for about a week, to take blood-replenishing potions, and we're going to be giving her potions twice a day to heal the tear inside, but she will be fine. She'll be exactly as she was before any of this happened."

"Who was Luna, really," Harry wondered, "before any of this happened?" Then he remembered. Luna was the one who had always believed in him, who had never let him down, who had never given up. Would she really still believe in him, and not give up on him? Harry hoped that were true.

The healer hesitated. "Your wife is asleep, but if you want to, you can see your baby one more time. It's your choice."

Harry got up on wobbly legs, and followed him. The baby was wrapped in a pink blanket exactly like the one in his dream. He looked at her. She looked perfect. He could not understand how such a small body could hold such an immense thing as death. Harry touched her cheek, which was round, and no longer red, but still faintly tinged with pink. The nurse let him hold her, putting the small bundle carefully into his arms, then stepping back respectfully. Harry had never held a baby before. He looked at her arms, which were incredibly small. He noticed as he held her that his wedding ring would probably have been able to slip all the way over her hand. Harry got an idea.

"She belongs with the rest of the Potters," Harry said quietly. "I want her buried with my parents. Can I do that?"

"I'll notify the proper people and see that it is done," the nurse told him. "Do you want to be there? It's not necessary, with a premature birth, but some people do."

He handed the baby back to her reluctantly. "No, I don't need to do that. I need to be with my wife, and she isn't strong enough to go. I don't think it would help her to see that"

"I quite understand," the nurse answered.

As he walked out of the room he looked back at the nurse. "I wasn't there for my parents, either, but I think they understand."

When she woke up, Luna didn't know how long she had been out. She was alone, and she was afraid to try to move to summon anyone. She lay perfectly still for hours, not moving, just worrying. She worried, and worried, and worried some more, until Harry and the healer finally came in to tell her the baby was dead. Then she went totally blank.

She heard the healer saying that it was a freak thing, that she would be fine, that there was no real damage, that she could have more children, but she wasn't processing any of that. She was still thinking about Rose. The baby wasn't with her, but that didn't mean the baby wasn't anywhere at all. Since she had never held the baby, or even touched her, all she'd had was her feeling about Rose, and she still had that, so the idea that the baby no longer existed was incomprehensible to Luna. She couldn't even cry.

When he healer had gone, Harry cried. He sat beside Luna's hospital bed, and laid his head on the edge of it and cried. He told Luna that maybe if he'd made her go to the healer when she had first gotten pregnant, or if he'd gotten her to the hospital when her back had first started to hurt, that maybe this wouldn't have happened.

Luna told him that she didn't think those things had much to do with it, and stoked his hair. Neither of them said anything after that, but after while, Harry crawled up on the bed next to her, and they slept in each other's arms.

The next morning, after they woke up, Harry said quietly that he needed to go home, to shower up, to let some people know what had happened. He asked Luna if she would be all right, and she said she would be. It was after she left that the letter came from Nicholas Mayer, and Luna realized just how stupid she had been.

Dear Luna,

I won't pretend that I understand why you led me on for so long, but it helps me to believe that you really did like me. I suppose I should have guessed from your letters that something was going on between you and Harry Potter. It was there, I know now, but I just couldn't see it, or didn't want to. I wish you had told me the truth, but I assume you had your reasons not to.

I liked you more than anyone I've ever met. If you ever find yourself free and unattached again, maybe we can take up our correspondence where we left off.

Take care,

Nicholas

"That is the last thing I want," Luna said to herself, as she tore the letter into tiny little pieces. "I want my husband." But would Harry still want her, now that he had a reprieve? Luna began to doubt that he would really want someone as silly as she was, even if he had told her that he loved her. He had been under so much stress at the time. Had he meant what he said, or had he just been hysterical?

Harry left the hospital, and stood on the sidewalk, totally confused. What to do next? He went to the Burrow. It looked the same. The garden was a tangled mass of green, and the chickens were scratching outside the door. How could everything be the same for everyone else when so much had changed for him? Harry would never understand it.

Molly and Arthur and Ginny were eating lunch. When he walked in, Molly took one look at him, and jumped up.

"Harry, what is wrong? Merlin, you look terrible! What's happened?"

"Luna lost the baby," he said flatly, dropping into the chair Molly pulled out for him.

"What?" She and Arthur both looked at him so confused that he felt a flash of anger. Then he relented. They couldn't help it. They had no idea of what this was like. They had seven healthy children, who had lived.

"The baby died. It was something about the placenta. There was something wrong with it. They seemed to think I should understand, so I didn't ask them any more about it. It doesn't matter anyway. It happened, and there's nothing I can do about it. Luna's alive, and that's something."

"Yes, yes," Arthur said distractedly, getting up to rummage in the cupboard. "That's something." He pulled out a bottle of firewhiskey, and poured Harry a drink. "Try this on for size."

Harry took it, and jerked his head in some sort of acknowledgment. He downed the whiskey quickly, like medicine, and held the glass out for a refill. Arthur obliged him, and Harry swallowed that glass just as quickly.

Molly looked at her husband indignantly. "Arthur, that's enough! Men!" she muttered, going to get Harry a bowl of soup. She put it down in front of him and started slicing some bread. Harry's head went spinning around after the second glass of whiskey, and he decided she was right. He began to eat mechanically, even though it was an effort just to lift the spoon.

Ginny, who had been watching all of this silently, finally spoke. "We're sorry, Harry."

He looked at her, and her face was a blank slate. They are, he thought to himself, but you're not. Ginny, you're happy. And he sighed. "Will you please tell Ron when he gets home, and ask him to tell Hermione?"

"Of course," Arthur assured him, and Harry got up and walked out. He went to Grimmauld Place. The elves were waiting for him.

"Is Miss Luna all right?" Dobby asked tentatively.

"Luna is going to be fine. She'll be home in a few days," Harry said, "but there isn't going to be any baby. The baby died."

Winky gave a strangled cry, and Dobby took hold of her to comfort her. Kreacher said nothing, which was a good response, for him. Harry left them all in the hall, and crawled into bed.

Ron and Hermione came to see Luna the next morning, and brought a pudding that Molly had made for her. Hermione had cried, too, because, she said, it was all so unfair. Ron just sat staring at the ceiling, his eyes suspiciously red. The four friends just spent several hours, sitting quietly together talking about superficial things.

Remus and Tonks came to visit the next day. Molly had sent them a message, and they had made plans to come as soon as they had gotten it. They brought Luna white roses, like the ones that had been in her bridal bouquet, not knowing how tormented she was at the sight of the flowers. The Lupins only stayed few minutes because Luna told them she was tired. They offered to take Harry out to dinner, and Luna told him to go with them, that she would be fine. She was worried about him because he didn't seem to be eating much.

As they waited for their meal, Lupin looked at Harry carefully. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"I'm fine. I just miss Luna at home. I'm scared."

"Of what?" Tonks asked curiously.

"I don't know yet. I just got that way."

Lupin sighed. "Just remember, one thing has not changed. No one can force you to do anything you want to do." He hesitated. "Of course the situation IS different now. No one would blame you if you want to reevaluate…"

"I'm not ready to decide anything about that. Luna still needs me," Harry said sharply, just as the food came.

"Harry," said Tonks carefully waiting until after the server had gone, "You got married out of need. That's understandable, but to stay married out of need is something quite different."

"I don't want to talk about it right now," he answered.

Harry came back after dinner and sat quietly beside Luna for awhile, just holding her hand, until Ginny Weasley dropped in. Ginny sat on the edge of the bed and talked about a wonderful book she had read, and a wonderful party she had been to, and about a wonderful jumper her mother was making her, until Luna got so nervous she was about to scream. Ginny finally got off the bed when the nurse came in to give Luna her blood-replenishing potion.

"I am sorry about the baby," Ginny said as she left, "but at least now you'll be able to get your lives back to normal."

Luna held herself together until Ginny and the nurse had both gone out of the room, then she let loose. She cried and cried and cried, trembling and gasping, until Harry had to climb onto the bed and hold her still. He held her tightly, and pushed her hair back out of her face, and said, "Shhhhhh!" over and over until Luna finally caught her breath.

"Everyone is going to feel that way," Luna finally gulped. "They're going to feel like the baby was just a mistake, that never should have happened, and I'll never be able to prove them wrong. She'll never be able to prove them wrong, and eventually everyone will forget she ever existed."

"I won't," said Harry. "I promise."

"Just don't sell us short," Luna begged him.

"I won't. I won't let you down," Harry answered. He paused, leaning back against the head of the bed a bit. "You know what I liked best about her? The baby, I mean. I liked her hair. It was so cute and fuzzy."

"I'll bet it would have been a mess, in time, though. She didn't have a chance for good hair, with either of us around." Luna gently brushed a stray lock of hair out of Harry's eyes. "I liked her hands. They were so small, and had those little tiny fingernails."

"That was amazing," Harry agreed. Then he frowned. "Does it make you feel worse to talk about her?"

"It makes me feel terrible not to be able to," Luna assured him. "No one talks about her to me. That's what upsets me. It's like she never happened."

"Well, she did," Harry said, wrapping his arm tighter around Luna's shoulder. "I miss her so much that it's driving me mad, and I only got to hold her for few minutes. It must be a hundred times worse for you, carrying her around all of that time."

"At least," Luna said solemnly, "I got to know her a little." She sighed. "No one can say we didn't try, Harry. No one can say that."

"You sound so final, Luna. You sound like your own life is over. It scares me, because it's not. That's the best thing to come out of this."

As Luna opened her mouth to answer, the nurse came back in, looking horribly embarrassed. "Mr. Potter, I'm sorry, but we have to give you these." She held out some official looking papers. Harry took them, looking confused.

"What are they?"

"The birth certificate, and the death certificate…sorry!" The woman fled before they could say a thing.

"Get those out of here, Harry, please," Luna begged him, and he nodded slowly and left the room with them.

Luna watched him go. "Maybe it is over, Harry," she whispered. "Maybe it is, at least the life I want to have."

Her head aching, and her body exhausted, Luna went to sleep. She dreamed she was in the Department of Mysteries, in the room with the planets. She was floating through the air, in an inky black sky, lit with thousands of glittering stars. She was floating in nothingness, with no purpose.

When she woke up, it was morning, and Harry was back. He was wearing the same clothes he'd had on the day before. His face was chalk white again, and there were black circles under his eyes.

"Harry?"

"Luna, what do you want to do now?" His voice was very flat.

"What do you mean?" She was genuinely puzzled.

"I mean, what do you want to do with your life? I really need to know."

She stared at him, and gripped the edge of her sheet. "I want whatever you want."

"Then we're tied, except, I don't know what you want," he said, wearily plopping down into the chair next to the bed. "Tell me the truth. What kind of future do you see for yourself now? We built our lives around having the baby, and she's gone. Not that everyone isn't sorry about that, but things ARE different now."

"That's a silly thing to say. It's a silly question to ask me. I haven't had time properly think about it. Why do we have to decide now, before we've had a chance to get over the baby, to really think about everything that's happened, and talk things out?"

"I know it's been hard for you, being married to me. I know I treated you terribly, and that you were very lonely." Harry looked at her mournfully, and Luna's stomach clenched painfully. She was sure something was going wrong, but she didn't know what.

"Harry, You never treated me terribly. You were wonderful. I love being married to you," she said desperately. "I wouldn't change a thing, not even the fights."

"Don't lie to me, Luna," Harry begged her. "That's the one thing you've never done before. At least spare me that."

She cranked her bed up higher and struggled to sit up so she could look him straight in the eye. "I'm not lying. Why do you think I didn't like being married to you?"

He looked away. "I found the letters from your friend, Nicholas. In fact, I read them."

Luna recoiled in shock. "When was this?"

Harry kept looking away. "Last night. I took home those certificates, and I didn't know what to do with them. I was going to put them in that drawer in the desk, where you keep our marriage certificate, and I found the letters!"

Luna's heart shattered. She could just see Harry, sitting on the floor next to the desk, helpless and defenseless, reading only one half of the story, and tears began to run out of her eyes. They weren't just tears for Harry, though. The tears were about everything.

"Harry, that all started long ago," she began.

"It was not SO very long ago," Harry argued.

"It was before we were married, before I felt married, anyway. And once it started, I didn't know how to stop it, but I swear, they didn't mean anything. It was like a game I was playing, a stupid, stupid game. They meant absolutely nothing. I never meant to lead Nicholas on. That's why I told him as much as I did about you. I just wanted to keep him as a friend."

He looked back at her, his green eyes, steady and bright in his pale face, and more luminous than Luna had ever seen them. "He didn't want to just be your friend, though, and I still think the letters meant you were lonely."

"Well, maybe I was, a little, but that wasn't your fault. It was mine, and mine alone." She started to weep again. "Those damned letters! I never meant to hurt you!"

"Oh, hell," said Harry. "The letters don't matter now. What matters now is what we do now. We have something now, don't you think? We have a relationship. Maybe it wasn't much to start with, but we've been through so much together. We shouldn't let it go. I think now is just when we're just starting to understand what we mean to each other." He gave her a very determined look that was familiar and beloved.

"I know what you mean," Luna said, smiling through her tears. "We care so much more now!"

"Then it doesn't seem like a good time to go our separate ways," Harry said firmly. "No matter what anyone thinks. It just doesn't seem natural." His color was starting to look more normal, and his eyes still glowed like emeralds.

"No, it doesn't." Luna thought for a moment. "Do you really want to do whatever I want to do?"

"Why do you ask?"

"Because I think I know what I want to do, of course" she answered.

"And what's that?"

She smiled at him. "I want to get the hell out of here as soon as they'll let me, go home with you, and start another baby!"

Harry smiled at her. "That would be a very natural thing to do," he admitted.

"I love you, Harry Potter."

"And I love you."

"Really?"

"Really, really, really, I do," he said, leaning in to kiss her, hard and sweet, as he had done that first night they were together.

Another day passed by, and Luna went back to Grimmauld Place. Another month went by, and the stories in the papers about Harry and Luna began to die down. Harry and Luna distracted themselves on December 8th by deliberately choosing to spend that day putting up Christmas decorations at Grimmauld Place. They buried their sorrow in tinsel and garland and sparkling, enchanted snow.

When they were done, though, and sitting by the decorated tree with hot chocolate, Luna said tremulously, "She would have loved Christmas."

Harry knew at once what Luna meant. "I would have bought her anything she wanted," Harry said in a miserable voice. "A broomstick or dolls, a pony or a puffskein, cuddly toys, just anything."

"I know you would have," Luna answered. "We would have had teddy bears and pink dragons everywhere."

She started to cry. Harry held her tightly and they cried together one more time. The tears were coming less and less often, though. They were still sad, but they still had lives to lead. After two months went by, with Harry's help, Neville opened his flower shop.

Harry, Luna, Hermione and the Weasleys came to the grand opening. The Prophet. Witch Weekly, and the Quibbler all sent photographers and reporters to cover the event. They had champagne to toast the future, and everyone began to mingle and talk. To Harry's great amusement, Neville spent more time talking to Ginny than he did talking to anyone else. He even heard them reminiscing about their date to the Yule Ball. As for Harry, he spent the whole afternoon with his arm around his wife, enjoying Luna's reactions to the various floral displays, and her special pride in the room Neville and Harry had devoted to researching magical plants.

He did leave her side for a moment, since she was not drinking, to get himself some more champagne. Luna was busy asking Neville about a certain type of flower, and didn't even notice Harry walking away. Harry grinned as he heard Luna telling Neville, "Alchemists used to believe that irises could be used to make rainbows appear. Did you know that? I remember Daddy wrote an article about them in the Quibbler once."

That was Harry's Luna. Things were back to normal at last. She had gotten one final letter from Nicholas Mayer. Harry sometimes thought about the morning that letter had arrived. She had showed it to him immediately.

Dear Luna:

My uncle writes that you recently lost a baby. May I offer my most sincere condolences? You might be interested to know that it does not look as if I am going to take the job in London after all, but I am leaving that door open for now. If you ever want to reach me, you know where to find me.

Sincerely,

Nicholas

"Do you ever miss writing to him?" Harry had asked, hesitantly.

"Not at all," said Luna blithely. "I'm much too busy nowadays. Now, if you don't have any plans for your morning, do you think you could possibly do again today what you did last night?"

"Mmmm, yes, I think I can," Harry had said, with a mischievous grin. "I just need a few minutes to get ready. Meet me upstairs."

Some things, Harry decided, looking back on it, never change.

Ginny followed Harry to the refreshment table.

"You really love her, don't you?" Ginny asked, smiling wistfully, as Harry offered her the last bottle of champagne.

Harry smiled back. "Was there ever any doubt?"

"Are you really happy, Harry?"

"Yes, I am," he said, almost in surprise. "I am a whole lot happier than I ever thought I would be."

Ginny shrugged and went back to Neville's side. He turned to her and his round pleasant face lit up. Harry chose that moment to lean over Luna, who was still looking at an especially large iris. Harry whispered, his breath tickling her ear, "He's in for it now."

Luna looked over at their friends, and giggled. "Would you mind?"

"Not a bit," he assured her, and she believed him, as always.

When Ron and Hermione finally decided to culminate their long engagement, they chose Neville to do the flowers for their wedding. Harry was touched and pleased. Neville had already paid back Harry's loan, long ago, but Harry still took an interest in how the shop was doing.

Neville had already begun to set up the decorations while they were busy rehearsing for the ceremony. Ron and Hermione were bickering about how close Harry and Ginny should stand to them during that ceremony, and how they should walk in. They were only having one attendant each, and that was a bone of contention within the Weasley family, so they wanted things to go smoothly.

When the rehearsal finally broke up, Harry walked over to Luna. "Thank God that part is over. If I can just get through tomorrow, everything will be fine. I didn't realize there was so much involved in a formal wedding. It almost makes me glad that we had to elope." He paused for a moment, then asked awkwardly, "Are you sure you don't feel bad that Hermione didn't make you a bridesmaid?

"Certainly not," Luna said firmly. "With this belly of mine, I'd hold up the wedding march." Then they heard a crash, and both jumped.

"Brian James Potter!" Harry yelled. "What are you doing over there? Leave Uncle Neville's ladders alone!"

"Sorry, Harry," said Neville sheepishly, untangling a purple garland from around the toddler, whose tousled black hair was now scented from lilacs. "He got away from me."

Harry snatched his small son, and glanced back accusingly at Luna, who was pregnant with what they hoped was Brian's sister. "I thought you were going to watch him better."

If Brian had not been the ring bearer, Harry would have gladly left him at home with Winky. Brian had already shown unwonted spirit by hexing Fleur and Bill's young daughter's hair purple to match her flower girl's dress and it had taken an hour for them to figure out how to turn it blonde again. Fleur had been furious. It had been almost like old times. Her exclamation about "Zis little boy!" had taken Harry all the way back to the Goblet of Fire.

"Why, Harry, I never go too near large bunches of lilacs. Don't you know that lilacs are unlucky for witches? That's why the colonists brought them to New England and planted them by their doors," Luna answered, brushing the last blossoms off their small son.

"Remember that poem about the lilacs that 'in the door-yard bloom'd?' Lilacs are supposed to keep witches away, " she continued. "It's probably because they often get infested with nargles. I can't imagine why Hermione picked them for her wedding, even if they do fit the color scheme. They smell nice, though, and I would hope Neville would have cleaned the nargles out."

Harry sighed. "I would think so. Now let's go home, Luna. We have a busy day tomorrow."

"Every day is a busy day," Luna said serenely, "but I wouldn't have it any other way."

And Harry decided that he wouldn't either.

The End.

Author's Note: This is what happens when a bunch of 50 year old women start talking about a story they all read when they were teenagers. In the original story, "Mr. and Mrs. Bo Jo Jones" (which came out in the late 60's) as we remembered it, a girl and her boyfriend had to get married. She kept writing to a male pen-friend she had, and the story told what happened when her young husband found out. We wondered if it could be updated. I immediately thought of the Potterverse, which has a lot of teenagers in it. I hope it worked. My father died on December 8th, so that's why I used it the way I did.


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